Gaara's New Life
by Terra Goddess
Summary: GaaOC. Gaara finally returns home to find himself....banished? How will he survive? What will happen as finds him in an unknown village? What will happen to his old village? Im not real good at summaries, so plz read and check it out!
1. Back home

**Author's Note:**

**This is my first fanfic...so if i made any mistakes...feel free to criticize, that way, i can get better at my stories and some ideas as well. Also feel free to tell me if you enjoyed the story!**

**Main Characters:**

**Gaara -- of course!**

**O.C. -- Sunome (Soo-no-meh...in case you don't know...)**

**A bit of Temari and Kankurou in the first Chapter.**

**I think it has some spoilers, but I _think _they're pretty much minors.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Three days had passed, since the sand-nins had saved Shikamaru's team from the Sound Five. Walking along the endless land of sand, Gaara and the others found themselves thinking how their lives would be like from now on. Gaara pondered on his near death situation with Kimimaro. He knew he would have to become stronger, if he wanted to survive and prove his existence. Temari, on the other hand, was thinking of visiting Konoha someday again. Seeing Shikamaru always made her smile and just thinking about him made her blush. Kankurou, who was staring at Temari's odd behavior, was thinking about his fight with Sakon. Sakon(and his brother)'s defeat had been easy and he thought if the ninjas of Konoha, really were as strong as they seemed to be.**

**"Our village is just 6 miles ahead," Temari stated abruptly, stopping their thoughts.**

**"Yea...I know," answered Kankurou.**

**For sand-nins, walking along the desert was as simple as walking on the ground in Konoha, and it usually took three or four days to arrive at their village. The heat didn't really bother them, as they were used to it since birth. There were also wild beasts in the desert, but even they knew approaching Gaara was a ridiculous mistake. It took two or three weeks for other nins just to reach the village. But due to the heat and the huge, deadly beasts, most ninjas wouldn't survive if they weren't careful. Therefore, the Sand Village hardly had any attacks or wars.**

**As they neared the village, Gaara heard doors closing and the clitter-clatter of feet as they ran for protection. Some stayed in their position, as they were too shaken to move.**

**"We-we-welcome back, Ga-ga-gaara, Te-temari...Ka-kankurou," a shopkeeper sputtered.**

**"Hello, Hanime," Temari said, trying to shake off the tension in the village.**

**It seemed that, although Gaara did willingly helped his village in their attack in Konoha earlier, the tension said that nothing had changed and Gaara will never be accepted. Temari glanced at Gaara, who was in front of her, ignoring the screams and shouts of the village people as they saw him. She knew Gaara wasn't actually bad, but she couldn't help feeling afraid if she talked to him. Kankurou, who also was staring at Gaara's back, had always hated him. He hated him for making himself actually feel afraid. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to get rid of Gaara, even ridding Temari would be pleasant. He smiled as he thought about his life without the two nuisances.**

**"What the hell are you smiling about?" Temari snapped.**

**"Oh, nothing...just that we're finally home" he replied as they neared their place.**

**Bitch, thought Kankurou through gritted teeth, as he cautiously got in front of Gaara and opened the door. Examining the room, Gaara slowly walked pass Kankurou to his room, upstairs. After Gaara had left, Temari pushed Kankurou out of the way, and walked to the couch, slumping on the soft cotton. Cursing softly, Kankurou walked to his room, glaring at Temari.**

**The next day, Gaara heard shouts and the uproars of people as he jumped back, into his room. Walking down the stairs, he heard Temari, trying to quiet down the crowd.**

**"Please, there's no need for this…Gaara's different now…" she tried explaining, raising her hands.**

**"A monster like him will never change!" shouted a man.**

**"Yeah! Monsters like him shouldn't live with us!" yelled Hanime.**

**"He'll only give us more trouble than we need! With the Kazekage dead, we can finally rid of the monster!" yelled another.**

**"Yes, it's true, the villagers and I have come to an agreement…we all came to an agreement…Gaara is to be banished," said the spokesperson of the Sand village.**

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**Yea…I no…it was kinda short….if this story sucks, please give comments, so I no if I should stop….or if I should continue. I'm not the best writer in the world, but I'll try making this story enjoyable!**

**Much Thx!**


	2. Banished?

**Author's Note:**

**Ok, this may sound likes a threat, but, if you like this story, then please comment/review about it, or else I have no reason to continue.**

**So please review if you wish for me to continue.**

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**"Banished!" Temari exclaimed, in disbelief.**

**"Yes, Gaara of the Desert is to be banished. From this day forward, he will be labeled as a missing-nin," stated the spokesperson.**

**"But what about the hunter-nins?" asked Temari, slightly worried.**

**"If you are _that_ worried about the unstable demon, then we won't address our hunters to track him down," assured the spokesperson.**

**Only hearing about the hunter-nins, as he walked closer to his older sister, Gaara asked "What's wrong?"**

**"Ah! Gaara!" she yipped, obviously surprised. "Ano, the villagers…they don't want you here anymore. They're all here to say that you're to be banished."**

**"Then so be it," he said, abruptly. He had already thought about leaving the village the night before, anyway. After his fight with Naruto, he felt that he wanted, no _needed_, to escape his horrible memories. He needed a new start, and this 'banishment' had only furthered his need to do so.**

**"But, Gaara, are you sure?" questioned Temari. She understood the pain he had to endure as a child and regretted not helping him, as Naruto had. If he had more time, she knew he would adapt well, and may even change himself. Nonetheless, she was still cautious of him and was shocked at what he had said.**

**"I'm sure," he answered. After glaring at the spokesperson, he turned his attention to the path ahead of him. Without glancing back, he walked out of the village he had once called home.**

**After Gaara's departure, Kankurou had finally finished dressing and ran over to find what the commotion was about. Turning to face Temari, he saw that small tears had formed in her eyes. Looking to the opposite side, he saw all of the villagers and the spokesperson, sigh with relief.**

**Confused by what he saw, he asked "What's wrong?"**

**"Gaara's gone," she said, forcing the tears back. "The villagers said they wanted him banished and he complied."**

**'Gone?' Kankurou asked again. Turning around, he looked farther this time, only to see a small gourd, as it disappeared into the sand.**

**"Yes! Gone! Do you see him anywhere?" Temari shouted at her younger brother… her now only brother. Stomping off to her room, she left Kankurou cringing, by her sudden outburst.**

**Returning his glance to the villagers, he saw that everyone wore smiles and were thanking each other for their achievement, slowly turning away from the house they once feared from. Smirking, he now realized his chance to finally accomplish his dream. 'Without that monster to ruin my ambition,' he thought. 'My only problem…. is that bitch.'**

**Once again he looked at his sister, who was now entering her room. Smiling villainously, he formed a devious plan, as he closed the door.**

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**Ok…so this one was shorter, who's to complain? If you still like this story, then I'll try my best to make it longer and more….interesting. Of course, I hope that chapter was also interesting. If not, then I'll probably end up either leaving it or deleting it.**

**I'll check it every now or then, so I guess it's up to you whether I continue it or not.**


	3. Trouble!

**A/N: Yay! My first reviewers! Makes me sooo happy! Thanks very much! Your review has enabled me to write yet another chapter; even though I have piles of homework…I shall do it for yous! I also noticed that I sort of jumped to the story a bit too fast...maybe I'll change it after I get finished with this story first...**

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**After Gaara was sure that the village was out of sight, did he look back. Although he knew that that village was the core of so many painful memories, he couldn't help but feel a bit sad. After all, the Sand Village was the place he had lived in, in all his life, even if he did curse it.**

**Sighing, he knew he had chosen to leave the village, and even if he wanted to go back, the village wouldn't allow it. Instead, he looked forward andheaded to the endless hills of sand and started walking.**

**Trudging along the sandy dunes, he finally reached his first destination, an oasis. After taking his fill of water, he figured that it would take at least two days before reaching a village… other than the Leaf Village. (If you noticed that the Leaf Village took three days...it's because it takes less days for Gaara because he doesn't sleep - !) From there, he could seek refuge and get food as well. He was not that stupid and had stolen some money, on his way out.**

**After making his plans, he hardened and formed some sand into a smaller sized gourd and poured more waterfor the long trip ahead of him.**

**As Gaara reached the Village of Stone, he decided that getting a place to rest was first. (He never understood why people thought he couldn't rest, as long as he never fell into slumber, he could at least meditate.) Eyeing the village, he noticed that there was little people who inhabited the village. They all eyed him suspiciously and warily, but never onced looked at him with fright. Like the Village of the Sand, he simply ignored the looks and just looked to the building that said 'Inn'.**

**Although he kept his attention on the building...he also was cautious of his surroundings, and noticed that eight people had formed a circle around him.**

**"Where you going, kid?" a man with ratty clothes asked him.**

**"Kids your age shouldn't be here, you should go back to your mother," one snickered.**

**"Yeah, where's your mother, kid?" another asked.**

**Feeling rather annoyed, Gaara decided not to use his techniques on them. He still needed to recover from Kimimaru's battle, as his chakra was stillalmost depleted. 'Futhermore,' he thought, ' these fools aren't even worth my time.'**

**"Get out of the way," Gaara simply said.**

**"Aha! Get out of the way? Who do think you are?" a man near Gaara laughed, as he squatted to Gaara's height. "Hey, what's your name?"**

**Crossing his arms, he replied, "Sabaku...No Gaara."**

**As soon as he finished, the gang bursted into shouts of laughter. Some had even started to clutch their stomachs, as tears sprouted from their eyes.**

**"Ha, ha, ha! Hey, did you hear what he said, Aki?" a man asked the ratty clothed man, who seemed to be the leader of the group.**

**"Oh, hell yes. Yo, kid, don't even play yourself," Aki said, wiping the tears off, "We all heard the news."**

**"What news?" Gaara asked.**

**"Oh, you don't know? How that monster was exiled, but was killed 12 hours later. What an ass...and to think that we were _afraid_ of him."**

**"Ah... anyway, we know you have some cash on you, so hand it over," Aki said, turning serious.**

**"Hn."**

**"Hn? Well, alright kid, you asked for it." Ahi replied, as everyone else flipped their knives out. "You know, your at a disadvantage...eight to one and all."**

**Seeing as there was no other choice to rid of the fools, Gaara unplugged his gourd, letting the sand pour out. Unfortunately, the stupid brutes had not seen the sand, and all at once, the men charged at him.**

**Some threw hidden shurikens at him, but they were easily deflected by his sand. Others started to attack him head on, using only their knives or their fists. The sand quickly threw them off, and drove the other men back.**

**"Heh, looks like you got a few moves,"Aki smiled, obviously not realizing that it was truly Gaara. "Not bad, but you won't last long."**

**Once again, the gang started to attack him all at once. But as they ran, the sand crept up to their thighs, soon holding them in place.**

**"Wh-Wh-What the hell?" one squeaked, surprised by the sudden halt.**

**Smirking, Gaara lifts his hands chest high, then starts to close his fists.**

**"Sabaku Sousou!" Gaara whispers.**

**Pools of blood flew everywhere from the sand covered bodies, as Gaara whispered the words. Fortunately, his sand armor had protected him against the beautifully colored liquid, leaving him flawless. As the sand returned to the gourd, it picked up all traces of body parts and blood, leaving nothing behind.**

**After the sand returned to the large gourd, did Gaara walk to the Inn again. Although his attack had been simple...and easy, he needed to hurry to the Inn, as his chakra was nearly gone. As he turned a corner, a painful shock ran through him. 'Shit...' he thought, before he fell to the floor, unconsious.**

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**A/N: Ahhh, sorry for the long wait...like I said, I'm not the best author, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter, you'll meet Sunome...so I hope you look forward to it. But, I'll try to update the chapters as fast as I can...but they'll probably be short ones...hope you don't mind...>. Plz review if you enjoyed it...or hated it...Well, Jaa nee!**

**I updated and fixed the typos...thanks Ryushi-the-DutchEroSennin for helping me with the mistakes and everyone else who reviewed** !


	4. Sunome

**A/N: Aha….whelp, I kind of got a bit carried away…so it's a bit longer than what I had thought it to be…..so, I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway .**

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

**ShadowFrights**

**shygurlie**

**Ryushi-the-DutchEroSennin**

**And Youko-sama**

**u give me muchpride n hope!**

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**Feeling a pulsing, throbbing pain, Gaara grabbed his head… the highlight of his pain. As he grabbed his head, he felt a soft, comfortable cloth bound around his head. As he touched the soft material, he remembered what had happened.**

**'Did I make it to the Inn?' he thought.**

**Looking around the darkened room, it seemed to him as if he was in a house. There was the bed he was in, a desk, and a closet. Everything had the color of either shade of blue or sea green. Standing, he walked over and slung his gourd over his back, which had been sitting in a corner. He felt strange, and tried to recall his memories again, when he heard footsteps nearing. As the person opened the door, his sand snaked its way up to the fugitive's legs, locking him in place.**

**"Who are you?" he questioned, realizing it was a female.**

**A bit surprised, she ignored his question, "So, you're awake? Well, that didn't take long…"**

**Confused, but still holding his ground, he asked "What do you mean?"**

**"You mean you didn't know you were unconscious?"**

**Thinking, he did remember hitting the hard pavement, his body immobile, and then blacking out.**

**"……." he replied.**

**"Well, you were only unconscious for like 2 hours…..including the ride back to the Village," she said, anyway.**

**"What Village?" he asked again. He never spoke this much, unless he intended on killing someone, but he had to admit he was curious.**

**"The Hidden Village of Storm," she replied, proudly.**

**'The Hidden Village of Storm?' Gaara thought. Oddly, the Village's name meant nothing to him, as he had never even heard of it.**

**"Anyway, I was shopping for food, and I saw you unconscious…..in the middle of the street. I guessed that you needed some help, so I brought you back," she said.**

**Ignoring the rest of her story on how she had 'saved his life from near death,' Gaara thought about Shukaku. Since he hadn't come out and gone on a killing rampage, he must've used his (Shukaku's) chakra by accident. This also must've caused his sand to fail in protecting him, as he fell.**

**'Kuso (Damn)….' Gaara thought. He hated the fact that someone, especially a female, had found him so helpless.**

**"So, what's your name?" asked the girl, breaking his thought. "My name is Sunome."**

**Remembering that he had sought to find a new life, he decided that he would no longer be Sabaku No Gaara, but just Gaara.**

**"Gaara," he replied.**

**"Gaara? Well, that name sounds so familiar. Hmmm……oh well, so…I'm guessing you're from the Hidden Village of Sand?" She said, looking at his forehead protector around his waist.**

**'Kuso…' he cursed again, 'I forgot to take the damn thing off…'**

**"Yes…." he replied.**

**"So, what were you doing in the Village of the Stone? If you were going to buy stuff, you should've gone to the Hidden Village of Leaf…..it's your ally, you know," she implied.**

**"I was looking for a place to stay," he said.**

**"Well, if you want, you could stay here for as long as you like," she said happily.**

**Deciding thatwalking back to the Village of Stone would be a waste, he decided it would be better to just rest here. Anyways, he wanted to know more about this 'Village of Storm' and even about the female, Sunome. So he nodded his head, once. Seeing that he had agreed to stay, she smiled and also nodded her head.**

**Since there was a long moment of silence, Gaara finally noticed her appearance. She had long, flowing black hair, which shimmered even in the darkened room. Her eyes were a sparkling, forest green, and held happiness. Her forehead protector, which was worn on her head, had the symbol of lightning. She wore a tight, blue t-shirt with fishnets, on her arms. Her skirt was also blue, with a white lace tied around her waist, and fishnets that ended at the bottom of her thighs.**

**"What are you staring at?" she asked, curiously.**

**"Nothing," he mumbled.**

**"Well, since you're a guest of the village, I could maybe…show you around?" she asked, hopeful.**

**Gaara nodded his head, making her smile more.**

**"Great! Come on then, the sun will set soon, and I want to show you everything," she said. Taking his hand, she led him out of the darkened room and into the sun's bright light.**

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**A/N: Aha! Yea, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter . I hope it wasn't too clique or dumb or anything…. . . It'll get more exciting, as things will come up and Gaara knows more about the girl, Sunome. until next time…buh-bye!**


	5. A Moment

**A/N: Ah, yea…hope that last chapter was interesting and sorry for the late update.**

**Ryushi: I was supposed to make the Village of Storm in the Wave Country…but I guess 2 hrs. to reach another country is too short of a time, eh? Awel, I guess it will b in the Earth Country ; thx for the help too .**

**Shygurlie: Glad you like the story ! I thought that people would actually only review complaints on my story ; happy to know you like it…it's made my day : )**

**Youko-sama: Thanks a WHOLE bunch! I'm glad I made 'Loving Fear' proud ! I will try not to upset you!**

**ShadowFrights: Are you still reading this?**

**And all you others! I know you're reading this! I see your users on my story's Favorite's list or Alert list! If you truly like this story...please review! It would greatly boost my imagination of writing…..**

**Ah, gomen….sorry for the long A/N….please…go on….**

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**Stunned, Gaara only followed her obediently, not even removing his own hand from hers. He was confused and didn't know what to do. So, he simply ignored it, like he did for so many years.**

**'…and this is my house," she said, turning around as they left the door. "We just left my room, a while ago."**

**Still clasping on his hand, Sunome showed Gaara all there is to know about the Hidden Village of Storm. Whether it was a food place, a place to buy groceries, or a clothes store, she showed him everything. Until finally, they reached their final destination: a simple hill.**

**"This is my favorite spot of all," she said, looking at the view. "It's a great view of the lake that circles half our village, you know."**

**Finally letting Gaara's hand go, she stretched, and then sat down on the soft sea of grass. Gaara, having nothing else to do, sat down besides her, looking at the beautiful sun setting in the lake.**

**"So, why do you want a place to stay?" Sunome suddenly asks.**

**Without looking at her, he simply said, "Because I'm banished from my own Village."**

**She made an O with her mouth, and then quickly looked at her feet, as if ashamed.**

**"Why were you banished?" she asked, looking back up.**

**Gaara stiffened at the question. Should this girl know his true name? He despised the fact that everyone who heard him speak his name, would run in fright. By chance, he was lucky that this village had not recognized him. Relaxing, he knew this girl had a right to know his true name, regardless.**

**"Because…I'm Sabaku No Gaara," he said, putting an emotionless face on.**

**"Sabaku…No Gaara?" she questioned, resting her chin on her knees.**

**"Yes," he said, almost regretting that he had spoken those words.**

**"You mean you're the boy of the sand? The one with the demon sealed inside you?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Well, I don't see that as a reason to banish you from your own birthplace," she said, raising her head back up.**

**Surprised, Gaara looked away from the sunset to meet her eyes. He found only confusion in those eyes; no hate, no pity, just pure puzzlement. 'She really does have no idea,' Gaara thought.**

**"The reason, is because I'm a monster," he said, turning angry at the harsh, truthful words.**

**"I don't think you're a monster…I don't think any of the villagers think you're a monster," she said optimistically.**

**Deciding that he didn't want to ruin the moment, he kept his thoughts to himself. 'That's because the villagers don't know my true name,' he had thought. 'They don't know what I'm capable of.'**

**It had been 10 minutes, and Gaara had lied down and closed his eyes. Sunome, on the other hand, still sat in the same position. Looking at the sunset and enjoying the quiet, peaceful moment. As the sky darkened, Sunome looked over to where the resting Gaara was. She slowly edged closer to him, and then observed him. He had his hands in the back of his head, and his eyes were closed, as if asleep. His gourd was on its side, next to him, never out of reach. She giggled. 'He's kind of cute sleeping,' she thought. 'Ah, I don't want to wake him up, but it seems that I have to.'**

**Reaching to nudge Gaara awake, a hand suddenly shot up to grab her own.**

**"Eek!" she shouted, obviouslysurprised.**

**"I'm still awake," he said.**

**"O-O-Oh," she stuttered.**

**Grabbing his gourd, he slung the oversized sand jug over his shoulder. Standing, he helped Sunome get to her feet, before heading downhill. The sun was still barely visible, as they neared the village. Gaara was in the front (his arms crossed), and had stopped unexpectedly, causing Sunome to bump into him.**

**"What?" she said, after taking a few steps back.**

**Looking around, she found Gaara's sand circling the both of them rapidly. As it encased them, she heard several shurikens plunge into the hardened sand, and then heard clinking sounds as they fell harmlessly to the ground. After the attack, did the sand slowly drop to knee's length. Since the sand guard had dropped its shielding, did Sunome get to see the attacker or attackers. What she saw, were adults in dark cloaks and wearing oddly designed masks on.**

**'Who are they?' she asked herself, feeling frightened. 'What do they want?'**

**Gaara, on the other hand, knew exactly who they were.**

**'Kuso,' he cursed under his breath. 'What are they doing here?'**

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**A/N: Again, sorry for the late update...I'll try and get a new chapter by this weekend...or before the next week. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter !**


	6. Hunter nins

**A/N: Thanks so much Catsmeowwh44! It makes me so happy that you like my story! T.T hugs back**

**Now, to the story!**

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**"Who are you?" demanded Sunome, still frightened, yet defensive.**

**"We are the Hunter-nins from the Hidden Village of Sand," answered one of the cloaked figures. "Here to annihilate Sabaku No Gaara."**

**'Annihilate Gaara?' Sunome thought, 'But he hasn't done anything wrong…'**

**"What the hell did he do?" she asked, feeling totally defensive.**

**"This is of no concern to you, little girl," was all he answered. "Step aside as we remove that treacherous monster, standing by you."**

**"Like hell I will," she said, feeling a hint of anger. 'How dare they call Gaara a monster!' she thought, clenching her teeth.**

**"Go home, Sunome," Gaara said, his arms crossed. He didn't want her to get hurt, as odd as it felt. He hadn't known this girl for long, yet he felt protective of her. He didn't quite understand these feelings yet, but now was not the time.**

**"I'll handle them."**

**"No way," she said. "There's like…" she counted, "Eight Hunters…like I'm going to let you take them on by yourself."**

**"Just go," Gaara said, "I can take care of them."**

**"No," she replied.**

**'Stubborn girl,' Gaara thought, clenching his fists.**

**"You'll only get in the way," he said, getting his sand out.**

**"That's what you think," she said, getting angry.**

**"So be it girl," the Hunter said, abruptly. "Yoshi! Kisho! Tanaka! You three get the girl. The rest of us will deal with Gaara."**

**"Hai!" all seven men said, before charging at their opponents.**

**'This isn't good,' Gaara thought. He was hoping they would go for him…and leave Sunome alone.**

**Sunome, on the other hand, already started her attacks. 'Thinks I'll only be in the way, eh?' she thought.**

**"Mizu bushin no jutsu (Water Clone)!" she yelled, as six water clones appeared by her side. Running, two clones took on each Hunter, but were easily defeated.**

**"Don't take us so lightly little girl," said Kisho, running at full speed at her.**

**"Don't worry," she replied, "I won't." As the men neared her, she jumped into the air and threw her own shurikens at them. The shurikens were easily deflected and the three men also jumped, taking their kunais out. Each one slashed at her, from a different angle. But what came out was not blood, rather water.**

**"A clone?" said Yoshi.**

**Taking the chance, as everyone is vulnerable in the air; Sunome jumped from the earthy ground and threw shurikens, once again.**

**"Kuso!" one said, as the shurikens met with his and the other Nins bodies. Falling back to the ground, they held their wounded areas.**

**"Heh, looks like we underestimated you as well," Tanaka said, clutching his bleeding arm. "We won't make that mistake again." As all three of the men ran in circles around her, two of them quickly grabbed each of her arms. The other one, Yoshi, went straight for her, fist pulled back.**

**'Fuck, this isn't….' she started to think, before Yoshi's fist met with her stomach.**

**Gaara, glanced at Sunome, who had just made her water clones. 'Looks like she can take care of herself,' he thought. Quickly returning his concentration on his own opponents, his sand had just finished covering him. As the other Nins neared, they threw needles at him. The sand rose to protect him, but the needles were so thin, that their ends were lightly touching his clothes.**

**'Damn, this isn't good,' he thought.**

**"Suna No Tate (Shield of Sand)!" Gaara whispered, as the Hunters threw their needles, once again.**

**"That shield won't last for long," a Nin said.**

**'I know it won't last,' Gaara thought. He planned on using Bakuryu Ryusa (Desert Avalanche) to finish it quickly, but that would endanger Sunome. 'I guess Sabaku Sousou (Desert Graveyard) will have to do.' He thought.**

**Still in his shield, he gathered the rest of his sand toward the Nins. Unfortunately, the Nins noticed it, and quickly backed off.**

**"We are not that easy to fool, Gaara," said one of the Hunters. Once again they charged at him, this time, using hand seals.**

**"Katon housenka No jutsu (Fire element, phoenix fire)!" they shouted in unison.**

**As the five flames neared Gaara, the shield quickly rose, protecting him again. Untouched, Gaara only felt the heat of the flames.**

**"Sabaku Sousou (Desert Graveyard)!" he said, as the men jumped from using the jutsu.**

**Trying to outrun the sand, they had no luck as it slithered and wrapped itself around their legs.**

**"Kuso!" a Hunter yelled in frustration, kicking and trying to shake the thing off.**

**Smirking, Gaara dropped his shield, and then raised his hands, chest high.**

**"I thought you would be of more entertainment, then my assassins," he said to the Nins.**

**As he closed his fists, he heard a girl scream….Sunome's scream.**

**As Yoshi punched her in the stomach, Sunome's knees buckled as she coughed up blood. The other Nins still held her arms, so she didn't fall to the ground.**

**"Release her," Yoshi said. Obediently, the two others let go and stood by him, letting Sunome fall to ground. Clutching her stomach, she coughed more blood, before trying to stand.**

**"We gave you a chance to live, girl," Tanaka said, slowly taking steps back. "Now you must die."**

**As he made his hand seals, Sunome gave an outraged scream….loud and ragged.**

**"Katon goukakyuu no jutsu (Fire element, grand fireball)!"**

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**A/N: I hope that chapter wasn't too awful….I must apologize, if it is. I know that typing fighting scenes are terribly hard, and truthfully, I never saw the Hunter-nins coming. I guess it kind of popped into my head. So, gomen if it was a terrible chapter….I'll try and do a better one on the next chapter. Hope the cliffhanger is good though…. .**

**Also, I won't be updating as frequently...until November. That is because my Grandmother from S. Korea is coming to visit. I have to spend time with her, so that gives me less time on the computer. Sorry for that, but I'll try and update as soon as I can. **


	7. Sunome? !

**A/N: O.o! Believe me…I really do want to make this story enjoyable…but I can't make it a longer chapter, in a shorter time. So, when you guys review, please say about whether you would prefer a shorter time and chapter…or a longer chapter and time. You can also email me, if you prefer. But other than that…yay! More reviews…and reviewers! **

**Celestial-Jade: Thank-you so much for the drawing! Reviewers check it out! She drew a picture of Gaara and Sunome…awww! You can check it out on her homepage!**

**Shygurlie: The Hunter-nins are trying to assassinate Gaara.**

**Twisted: Yea…the fire jutsus can actually be used by anyone…it's just a hard jutsu to obtain and use, is all (Jiraiya later uses the attack, actually.). Glad you like my story, though.**

**And Ryushi…about the attacks, I actually just found them on sites…so that's how I did the super hard names ; ….also, glad I didn't screw up the fighting scene . And about the fire jutsu….I heard somewhere that Hunter-nins could use multiple attacks. Not only from their own Village. Perhaps I was misinformed? Sorry about that.**

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**'Shit!' Gaara thought, quickly releasing his enemies. 'Sunome!'**

**Without thinking anymore, Gaara ran to her while forcing his sand to wrap itself around the girl. Unfortunately, the golden flames, reached her first…engulfing her body.**

**His eyes widened. 'I was too late,' he thought, slowly stopping. Looking at the dancing flames, lick itself around the body, he felt his face grow cold.**

**The five Hunters, who had just recently been in a near-death situation, saw the chance to kill him. Running silently, as Gaara stared at the flames, they threw their kunais at his back. The sand shot up, and Gaara turned around to face them. His eyes were cold, yet emotionless. Without hesitation, his sand quickly rose to crush the Nins legs. All five of them fell and rolled onto to ground. Slowly walking towards them, Gaara knew that he had all the time in the world. He would see to it, that every Hunter would have an agonizing death. As he neared the pitiful men, clutching their broken legs, Gaara smiled devilishly. Wrapping his sand around them, he covered every body part, except for their masks. Although the masks were still on, he could feel their fear of being killed. Again, he raised his hands, chest high. As he started to close his fists, he was interrupted, once again, by a shout.**

**"What the fuck?" Tanaka shouted, backing off.**

**When the last of the fiery flames diminished, there was a water barrier that had circled itself around the girl. As Sunome stood, she gave a deep, throaty laugh, releasing the Suiton, Suijinheki (Water element, Water barrier wall).**

**Puzzled, yet still holding to the Nins with his sand, he noticed that Sunome's appearance had changed. Her glossy, jet black hair was the same, yet her eye color was not. The rich, forest green eyes that held so much joy, had vanished. Instead, purple eyes that seemed to scream death appeared.**

**"Fools! Do you think you could rid of me so easily?" she asked, her voice of a different tone.**

**Without letting them have a chance to reply, she quickly did numerous hand seals.**

**"Take this you bastards…" she growled. "Suiton, Suiryuudan no jutsu (Water element, water dragon blast)!"**

**As soon as she spoke the words, a large water dragon with glowing eyes, appeared from the lake. It's mouth wide and aiming for the three Nins. As the dragon slammed itself onto the three hooded figures, one of them quickly put up a sand shield.**

**Sunome smirked. "Nice save, as one would expect from a Hunter-ninja. But don't expect that you and the rest of your friends are going to survive the next."**

**With that she did yet another set of hand seals, before yelling "Suiton suishouha (Water element, water wave)!"**

**Realizing the jutsu Sunome was attempting, Gaara abruptly released his sand that had covered the Hunters. He then drew the sand around himself in a spherical shape, hardening it with his chakra.**

**As he finished encasing himself, a huge wave emerged from the lake. It crashed down, talking all the Hunters and the spherical ball of sand with it. It thrashed and slammed them into whatever object was in sight.**

**Sunome chuckled. She loved the Hunters, desperately gasping for air, as they were slammed into things, by the monstrous wave.**

**Finally, when there was no one gulping for air, the wave slowly withdrew. It was Sunome's turn to smile devilishly. Looking at the lifeless bodies circling her, she noticed a wet ball of sand. It was slowly falling off in clumps, until only the red headed boy, Gaara stood. She grinned; someone had actually survived her attack. Walking toward him, she imagined the fun she could have with him.**

**Gaara, on the other hand, was still puzzled. Although he still wore an emotionless mask, he knewthe girl before him, was not Sunome.**

**"What's wrong boy? Don't you wish to annihilate me?" she asked.**

**Ignoring her question, he asked, "Who are you?"**

**He hesitated, "And where's Sunome?"**

**She grinned even more. "My, my, it seems as if our popularity has decreased. Nonetheless, I will tell you, before your death."**

**Still walking, she answered, "My name is Kita, and I am the eldest sister of Sunome. I am sealed within her, due to my chaotic, yet extraordinary powers. When she is in extreme distress or anger, I am able to come out. Now, back to where I was…"**

**As she stopped only a few feet away from her, she smiled. Still smiling, she turned into a clear, blu-ish substance. As the water fell tothe ground, Gaara realized it was all a trap.**

**'Shit, a water clone,' Gaara thought, 'How could i not sense her?' As he spun around, he felt the sharp, cool blade of a kunai.**

**As she leaned her headnear his ear, she whispered, "...your death."**

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**A/N: Yay! I finished the chapter! Well, today is my birthday (Yay! I'm 16!), so I thought that I should make a chapter….so, as a birthday gift…please review! It would make me very happy! Also…it seems that my grandma is staying for a while. --. So, sorry for the late updates again. Gomen! Also, hope you enjoyed this chapter too! (Ah, yea...i just don't like the fact that most Gaara stories I've read is about 'girls in distress'. Girls can take care of themselves...though this story is in a different way...).**


	8. Gaara and Kita

**A/N: I am so sorry! Please forgive my last chapter…I didn't mean it to be so short >. . I'll try and make the future ones a tad bit longer….ok? Enjoy this one for now! **

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**Kita smirked. She had hoped that the boy, she now held the kunai to, would prove more of a challenge. 'It's been such a long time since I've been out, so I might as well give him a second chance.' She thought.**

**Raising the kunai from his neck, she quickly cut Gaara's right cheek, before jumping back a few feet. Staring at him from a good distance, she started to frown. 'Where is the reaction?' she thought. Instead of wincing or even touching the small wound, Gaara just turned to face her. He seemed unfazed and just stared back at her. Kita felt uneasy, as his dark eyes bore into hers. 'Did he let me get close to him?' she wondered. 'Ridiculous,' she thought, 'although he is no ordinary boy, everyone has faults.' Regaining her calm, she smiled and licked the blood on the kunai.**

**"Come on boy, let's see how long you can survive," she said, after putting her kunai back into its sheath.**

**Gaara merely stood; he didn't want to fight the girl, because Sunome might still be in there.**

**'Kuso!' he thought. After she had licked his own blood, Gaara had felt a rush of excitement.**

**'No…' he commanded himself, 'I cannot kill her if Sunome is still there.'**

**Closing his eyes, he calmed himself. He would have to dodge her attacks, and perhaps make small wounds, if necessary. Gaara growled; He needed to wake Sunome up, but didn't know how.**

**"Ok then," Kita said, in a singsong voice, "I'm coming for you."**

**Darting left from right; she took out four shurikens and threw them at Gaara. As the shurikens neared, Gaara realized that his sand wasn't rising. Having only a second, Gaara quickly ducked as the shurikens whizzed by. 'What the fuck! Why didn't the sand protect me?' Gaara thought, widening his eyes.**

**Kita gave a deep, throaty laughter again. "Did you think I would let you use your sand after you had survived one of my most gruesome attacks?" Kita asked.**

**"You see, the water has my chakra, and your sand is soaking with that water. Other than the weight of it all, my chakra is also holding it down," she said, as if knowing what he had asked himself.**

**Once again, she started darting, nearing him with every jump. When she got close enough, she punched him in the stomach. Gaara dodged it, and tried to counterattack. Although Gaara did use his sand as both offense and defense, he was not vulnerable without his sand. After the attacks, both of them were in a close fight of punching, kicking, and dodging each other.**

**'This will lead to nothing,' Kita finally thought, as she dodged Gaara's low punch. Returning the low punch, Gaara also dodged it, and Kita took the chance to back off. Although they both were in a distance to fight again, they decided to catch their breath instead. The small battle didn't last as long, but both had used their chakra in their match. Whereas Gaara had only put in a small amount, Kita had put in half, hoping Gaara would die a bloody pulp.**

**As Kita gulped as much air as she could, Gaara noticed a Hunter coughing a few yards away. He tried to get up, but later realized he couldn't. He was one of the Nins that Gaara had injured earlier.**

**'How did he survive Kita's attack?' Gaara thought. Since his legs were useless, it made it seem even more impossible that he had actually lived.**

**Too weak and injured to stand, the ninja turned his head to see the two opponents. He saw Gaara stare at him back and slowly unsheathed a kunai, hidden from Gaara's view. He knew he would not be able to kill Gaara with his sand, but he might be able to kill the Sunome girl. She had killed his teammates and though they would fail to annihilate Sabaku No Gaara, at least he could avenge their deaths. With the last of his strength, he threw the kunai toward Kita's neck, silently.**

**Seeing the kunai fly from the Hunter-nin, Gaara quickly ran toward Kita. Since his sand was useless, he had to protect Kita/Sunome from the kunai aiming for her neck. Kita, on the other hand, had thought Gaara was ready for another battle and gotten her own kunai out. As Gaara wrapped his arms around Kita, she dug her kunai into Gaara's stomach, surprised. Also surprised by the kunai now in his stomach, Gaara lost his footing and both began to fall onto the ground. The other kunai connected with his shoulder as they plummeted down back to the earth.**

**Sunome felt someone wrapping their warm arms around her. Snuggling closer to the warmth, she smiled. Snuggling the warm object, she started to frown.**

**'Wait...' she thought. Opening her eyes, she blinked a couple times to get her night vision on. Looking up, she found that it was Gaara's body she was curling up to.**

**"Ga-Ga-Gaara?" she asked, blushing. 'This is so sudden,' she thought. As she tried to get out from underneath him, she found her hand was holding a warm object.**

**'Hmmm…' she wondered, 'I wonder what this thingis….'**

**Without another thought, she pulled it out. Pulling the knife out, Gaara automatically cringed, then rolled away from Sunome, face up. Since he moved away, Sunome was able to see what she exactly she was holding. Squinting, she realized it was a bloody kunai, now covering her hand. She gasped, and then quickly looked to Gaara. A bloody wound was in his stomach, and another kunai was lodged in his shoulder.**

**'No…' she thought, 'No!'**

**Scrambling back up, she took several steps back from Gaara, who was about to sit up.**

**"Sunome?" he asked, sitting up and then quickly clutching his stomach.**

**"No…! I promised her…" she whispered, ignoring him. As tearsfell onto her cheeks, she covered her mouth and dropped the bloody kunai. Turning, she ran back to the direction of the village, never glancing back. **

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**A/N: Ah, sorry for another short chapter. Hopefully it'll be longer in the future….as I have the later chapters planned out. Still, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Thank you reviewers for reviewing…though it seemed I got less reviews on my birthday….ah well . Until the next chapter, ja nee!**


	9. Confession

**A/N: Ah, sorry reviewers! My computer's hard-drive got busted…so we had to wait for another one…anyway! Glad to know I got some new reviewers: The Shapshifting Chick and Original Inuyasha . Now…back to the story…**

**(Also…I've noticed that sometimes my story leaves lines out or sticks words together…I'm trying to fix that so bear with me!)**

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**Seeing Sunome running away, Gaara tried to run anever expected this to happen. He had thought only a simple life, going from village to village. Money wasn't a problem, seeing as he had some, and if that ran out….he could always obtain it from other people. Although he would remain a loner, an outsider, at least he could escape those faces of hatred that he despised so much.**

**Sighing, he finally reached the young girl's house. Although he didn't want to see Sunome, another part of him did. As he reached Sunome's room, the door was closed. He hesitated; he was unsure of the consequences that awaited him, if he opened the door. He didn't like the emotions and thoughts he was feeling, so he opened the doolage to village. Money wasn't a problem, seeing as he had some, and if that ran out….he could always obtain it from other people. Although he would remain a loner, an outsider, at least he could escape those faces of hatred that he despised so much.**

**Sighing, he finally reached the young girl's house. Although he didn't want to see Sunome, another part of him did. As he reached Sunome's room, the door was closed. He hesitated; he was unsure of the consequences that awaited him, if he opened the door. He didn't like the emotions and thoughts he was feeling, so he opened the door anyway. Walking in, he was greeted by a scream.**

**"Get out!" screamed Sunome. Slightly stunned, Gaara saw Sunome on her bed. She was facing away from him, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her shoulders were shaking, meaning she was silently crying. Gaara was unsure about his situation; he had never seen another human cry. So, he turned away, deciding to find another open room to rest in.**

**"I'm sorry," Sunome said, stopping Gaara from leaving.**

**"I didn't….mean to hurt you…" she quietly said. Turning, she looked at Gaara, her eyes wet from tears, which were still streaming down.**

**Seeing the cloth, pathetically wrapped around his stomach wound, she sniffed, and then gave a weak smile.**

**"Did you wrap that yourself?" she asked.**

**Gaara nodded, as she took out a medical kit from the bottom of her bed. After she unknotted the dirty cloth, she raised his shirt slightly. Applying herbal medicine, she then rewrapped a cleaner cloth to the gash.**

**"There," she smiled. Returning to her bed, she looked out the window, which was directly above her bed.**

**"I know you don't know how it feels to see the faces of people who hate you….who detest you," she said, continuing to glance at the window. "You think they're happy for me, with those smiling faces, but they're not. They can't shield their eyes, and their eyes tell me they hate me…that they want nothing more with me."**

**She smiled weakly, before looking at him again. "I didn't mean to run away from you…but, seeing you there….reminded me of my mother."**

**"You see, my sister…Kita, was unstable the moment she turned eight. She grew out of control, and killed many villagers. After she killed our father, my mother decided something was to be done. The villagers wanted her dead, but my mother disagreed. She still had a soft spot for her eldest daughter. So, she sealed her in me, thinking both of us would be safe."**

**Gaara listened, his arms crossed. He did notice the hated look of the villagers, but had paid no attention to them. After all, it had nothing to do with him.**

**"But even though Kita wasn't physically here, mentally, she was to me. I could hear her thoughts and she was always angry. She was angry that mother had sealed her, that she was useless now. I tried telling her that mother saved her, that she would have been dead if not for her. She wouldn't hear it though, and one day, my mother and I got into an argument. We didn't know that if I was angry enough, I could release Kita. She killed mother as soon as she laid eyes on her. When I regained conscious, mother was lying on the floor, bleeding. She was barely alive, and I….I tried so hard to save her. She tried to say something, but there was too much blood in her mouth…and then…and then, she was gone. And there was blood everywhere….on the floor, my hands, my clothes….it was everywhere. I didn't know what to do next….so I cried…"**

**As tears glistened on her cheeks, she smiled sadly. Then said, "When I hugged my lifeless mother, I promised her I wouldn't get upset or angry anymore…that I wouldn't lose control."**

**More tears fell onto her cheeks, and Sunome began crying once again. Suddenly, she flung herself onto Gaara, and both of them went down.**

**"I'm so sorry….I promised her…." she cried as she sobbed on Gaara's clothes. She was sprawled on his lap, after they fell against the wall. Gaara just sat there, as she cried more and more. Later on, her crying ceased and Gaara could hear her breathing; she had cried herself to sleep. As Sunome slept, still clutching Gaara's clothes, Gaara decided to rest as well, not wanting to wake the sleeping form.**

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**When Gaara regained his chakra, he gently pushed Sunome away. Deciding leaving her sprawled on the floor a bad idea, he picked her up and laid her on the bed. Walking out, of the house, he went back to the hill, where he had battled Kita, to practice his offense and defense attacks. After he was tired, he sat on the soft grass, and gazed at the village below. Since it was still early in the morning, the village stood quiet; no bustling of villagers buying food and supplies, or talking amongst each other. As he enjoyed the soft breeze and silence, he heard someone coming behind. Quickly, he wrapped his sand around the enemy, tightening its grip. Finding out it to be Sunome, he dropped the sand, as Sunome rubbed her arms.**

**"Bad habits die hard?" she asked, giving a nervous chuckle. Gaara just stood, staring at her.**

**"Ummm...I thought you might be hungry, so if you want, come down at my place," she said, avoiding his eyes. He nodded.**

**"Great," she said, flashing him a smile, it'll be ready in a couple minutes. Come down whenever you like."**

**Running down the hill, she raced back to her house, so breakfast would be ready in time. Gaara, on the other hand, also headed back, but took his time in doing so. When stepped inside Sunome's kitchen, she was fumbling with her cooking ware.**

**"Uh, this is going to take some time…if you'd like, you can take a shower, which is to your left. Or you can hang out in my room," she said, now grabbing numerous food items.**

**Gaara thought it best to take a shower, since he had just finished his training. Walking to his left, he closed the door and turned the hot water on. When he had finished showering, he smelled bacon, ham, and eggs. Going back to the kitchen, he saw Sunome seated in a chair.**

**"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made ham, eggs, and bacon. I hope you like it," she said.**

**Taking a seat, opposite to Sunome's, he took some ham and eggs. When he had finished, he drank the orange juice Sunome had poured him. As he waited for Sunome to finish, he felt a pleasant feeling. He had never eaten with anyone, aside from Yashamaru, who proved to be a traitor. As Sunome gulped the last of her bacon, she looked at Gaara, who was staring back at her.**

**Remembering the conversation they had earlier, she suddenly asked, "Want to take a walk?" She didn't want to talk about it here; memories would resurface if she talked about it…especially in the village.**

**Gaara blinked, and then nodded. Smiling, she jumped out of her seat, whereas Gaara just stood, and both walked out of the house. When they walked out of the village, the ground was only of sand. Although the wind was caressing, the sun was hot and boiling. This didn't seem to bother Gaara, or even Sunome. They both walked in silence, going farther into the desert.**

**Finally, Sunome couldn't handle the eerie silence any longer and was about to speak. But Gaara had stopped walking and looked off into the distance. Sunome closed her mouth, and then copied Gaara, squinting to see what had caught his eyes. There in the distance, was a woman. She was face down, so Sunome couldn't see her face. The woman seemed to be dead, perhaps from dehydration.**

**Nearing the lady, they found her body full of cuts, wounds, and bruises. Luckily, the woman was only unconscious. Although in a near death situation, with some care, she would live. As Gaara turned her face up, Sunome saw him widen his eyes.**

**Squatting next to him, she asked, "Do you know this woman?"**

**Gaara just looked at the sleeping teenager, her face full of bruises. Though her face was hardly distinguishable, he knew who she was.**

**He nodded, and then said, "Her name is Temari, my eldest sister."**

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**A/N: Ok! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter….hope it wasn't _too_ boring. Anyway sorry for the late update….please forgive me. Other than that, thank you reviewers for reviewing! You have made me super happy and I wish you all a _Happy Thanksgiving_!**


	10. Temari

**A/N: Sorry I have not updated in such a LONG time! I had to write stories for my grandma…and well, let's just say they took longer than I had planned. Anyway to the next chapter!**

**Thank you new reviewers…and Ryushi….I don't celebrate Thanksgiving either….I'm Asian.**

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**Temari woke to the crashing of a pot. Jerking up, she instantly felt the sharp pains and sores on her body, shutting her eyes. Grabbing the large wound on her arm, she felt a cloth around the wound and opened her eyes. Quickly scanning for her fan, she found it lying on the floor by her bed. Grabbing it, she positioned herself to strike the stranger. As she readied herself to attack, she felt the sharp pains again and crumpled to the bed. **

**"Oh…you're awake," a girl with black hair and green eyes said. **

**Gripping her fan, Temari ignored her, "Who are you? I demand to know."**

**Chuckling, she said, "Why don't you eat first…you should be starving by now." Setting the tray with soup and bread down, she motioned Temari to eat. Without another second, Temari grabbed the soup, slurping the hot liquid down. When she finished, she snatched the bread, ripping it apart until only the crumbs remained. Giving a satisfied sigh, she slumped on the bed, but touched her fan slightly.**

**Seeing Temari touch her fan she said, "You don't need to be suspicious of me…Temari."**

**Eyeing her suspiciously, she asked, "Do I know you?"**

**"No not really. My name is Sunome… I know your brother," she answered.**

**"Kankurou?" she asked, tightening her grip on her weapon.**

**"N-n-no…you're other brother," she said, waving her hands side-to-side.**

**Jumping off the bed, she ignored her searing pains, "LIAR! Gaara died days ago….do you take me as a fool? Everyone knows he's dead!"**

**Holding her fan to her side, she tried to whip her fan to the other side. Looking angrily at her hand, she found that it was covered by sand. Looking down, she found her whole body covered by it as well. **

**"Calm down Temari," a voice said by the doorway. Seeing her little brother enter, a wave of emotions hit her, though his face was emotionless. **

**"Ga-Gaara…I..." she said, forgetting her anger and letting tears stream down. "I…thought you were dead…"**

**Slightly surprised at her tears, he still had his emotionless mask on. "Did you really think _they_ could kill me?"**

**Wiping the tears off, she said, "We never heard a response from them…but our Kazekage assured us that you were dead." **

**'Kazekage?' Gaara thought. Aloud he said, "Who's the Kazekage?"**

**Looking down, she answered, "Kankurou."**

**"Who's Kankurou?" Sunome asked.**

**A flash of anger ran through Temari, "The middle sibling of us….the one who tried to kill Gaara and I."**

**Sunome stared. 'How could a family member kill another of the same blood?' she asked herself. Finishing the thought, she remembered her mother's bloody body and shuddered. Kita had given her the image and she could feel her smiling. **

**"What happened?" Gaara asked, his body now slumped against a wall.**

**Temari's face hardened as she answered. "Kankurou told me to go the Leaf Village and said he would tell me future directions from there. I didn't press it, since I wanted to visit someone anyways. A mile off, I was attacked by hunter-nins. I thought that they were of another village until I saw their forehead protectors: all of them were marked sand. I tried to fend them off, but there were so many of them, so I tried running. Since I had used most of my chakra, I didn't get far and I had to fight again. After some time, I collapsed and they started to laugh at me. Even after, they started to beat me and cut me, saying how I was the sister of a monster and that I shouldn't live either. I can't remember after that."**

**Touching her face, she could feel the slight bruises on her face.**

**"Don't worry," Sunome smiled. "Your wounds are better now, and since you've been sleeping for weeks now, they should be gone after a couple of days. You should get more rest now; I'll leave some food on the table, in case you get hungry again."**

**Smiling at Sunome, Temari laid her fan down and quickly went to sleep. When Sunome was sure Temari was sleeping, she nodded Gaara to go outside. As Gaara stepped outside, Sunome closed the door behind her.**

**"What are you going to do?" she asked, after the door was shut.**

**"Nothing," Gaara replied.**

**"Nothing? Are you serious? Do you remember what she looked like when we first saw her? How could you say that? She's your sister!" Sunome yelled.**

**Gaara just continued to stare, then said, "It's her problem, not mine. I am no longer of the Sand." As he turned around, Sunome tried to put her hand on his shoulder. Her hand was stopped as Gaara's sand tightly wrapped itself around her. **

**Turning back around to look at her, he said, "It's not my problem to deal with."**

**With that, he let go of the sand and walked away. Coughing, Sunome angrily stared at Gaara. **

**Running ahead of him she stopped him again. "Fine…if you're just going to stand there and do nothing, I'm going to go. I don't know your sister very well, but I do know that I have to do something. Look at what they did to her…they even beat her after she was unconscious! Well fine, have it your way."**

**Walking away, she said, "No wonder why you were hated by your own village…I'd hate you too."**

**Stunned, Gaara let Sunome walk out of the house. All he'd wanted was a new life, and now with Temari showing up again, he knew he had to go back. **

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**When Sunome returned, her anger had faded and she decided it was time to pack. She had hoped that Gaara would run after her, but he hadn't, and now it was time to leave. Gaara was nowhere to be seen and she had to admit she was a bit sad. Carrying her bag, she looked at Temari's peaceful face and knew she had to set those people right. She knew she didn't have to and that it might even cost her her life, but she knew that Temari should have some justice. Remembering her face when she had first saw her in the desert made Sunome shudder. Nodding to herself, she closed her door. **

**After the door was firmly shut, she turned around and gave a yip. Gaara stood in the hallway, his arm crossed. **

**Her anger returned and she asked, "What are you doing here?" **

**"I'll go," he said.**

**Shocked, she asked, "What?"**

**Gaara sighed, "I said I'll go. You don't have the necessary skills to fight the Sand Village. I've lived there and I know their tactics…plus, I don't want you getting hurt if it's unnecessary."**

**Blushing, Sunome said, "Well, thank you…but I think I do have the necessary skills to fight. I fought the Hunter nins just fine."**

**"You almost died," Gaara stated.**

**"Well, I lived didn't I? I'm still here today," she huffed.**

**Gaara sighed again, this was leading to nowhere. He wasn't good at persuasion, so he set his gourd down. He'd have to trap her with his sand and only release it after he was gone.**

**"But I see what you mean…and if you really want to go, then you can. Besides, who's going to take of Temari if both of us are gone?" Sunome said. **

**Looking up, Gaara slowly nodded and picked his gourd up again. He knew he wouldn't enjoy attacking Sunome, and was slightly glad that he didn't have to. Without another word, Gaara walked out of the house, but Sunome stopped him again. This time, however, she ran in front of him.**

**'Now what?' Gaara thought.**

**Leaning toward his face, she whispered, "Teach those people a lesson for me." Then she gave him a quick kiss on the lips, before running back into the house.**

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**A/N: Ah, sorry reviewers yet again for my super late update! I hope you all forgive me! I'll try my best for a faster update now that I am free of making essays Hurray! Sorry for lying to you faithful reviewers…this time I'll try and get my updates in on time….until next chapter…Ja nee!**


	11. Surprise

**A/N: Hey reviewers! Glad you liked the last chapter! **

**Ryushi: Lol, I know what you mean….glad you haven't forgot about this fan fiction.**

**Ting92: Hope this update was faster!**

**Arisa: Thank you! Glad you liked the chapter and Happy Chinese New Year to you too! (Sorry…I don't know how to spell it in American U)**

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**Gaara widened his eyes. Unsure about the emotions he was feeling and the short, but sweet kiss he had received. Thinking it was better to think nothing of it, he left the house without a word, heading to the Village of Sand.**

**Four days had passed and Gaara had finally reached the same oasis he had rested and drunk from before. Although it would normally take him five to six days, he took his time instead. There was no need to hurry, especially if Kankurou was not expecting his arrival. After resting for a couple of hours, Gaara poured water into a smaller sized gourd of sand, and then left the oasis once again.**

**Finally reaching the village, Gaara found it empty. There were no people, no children, nothing. Cautiously, he walked into the village. It was as if the village people had known of his arrival and had run for their lives. Crossing his arms, he walked toward the Kazekage office. His mission was to kill Kankurou, then leave. Simple as that. Nearing the Kazekage's building, he found an enormous television. It was similar to that at the Hidden Village of Leaf, but 10 times the size. He glared at it, seeing his reflection on the screen. Looking deeper, he saw many ninjas around him. Some on the buildings, others walking toward him. Uncorking his gourd, he readied himself, as the screen lit up.**

"**Ah, ah, ah," a voice said. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."**

**Looking up, he saw the Kazekage, his face covered by the Kage's clothing. **

"**Kankurou…" Gaara growled.**

"**Actually," the Kazekage said, taking off the clothing on his face, "It's me."**

**Unveiling his face, Gaara saw that it wasn't Kankurou, but the spokesperson who had exiled him: Damasu.**

"**Surprise…" he smiled. **

**Gaara just stared. **

"**Oh, quiet aren't we? Didn't expect to see me did you? Didn't know this was planned from the beginning?" Damasu cooed, and then laughed.**

**Gaara continued to stare, his sand slowly pouring out. Ignoring the Kazekage, Gaara's mind was set only on the nins surrounding him. **

**Damasu's laugh ended abruptly. "My, my…where are my manners? I forgot to introduce our guest here." The screen then focused on a girl, chained to a wall, her black hair fallen over her face.**

**Seeing the girl, slumped against the wall with her arms hanging as her wrists were chained, the sand stopped pouring. **

"**Ah, now I've got your attention." Damasu said, as he tilted the face up. **

**As the black strands of hair fell off the girl's face, Gaara realized that it was Sunome. From her closed eyes, he knew that she was unconscious.**

"**Such a pretty girl… but such a pity her beautiful face will be covered by dirt, blood, and insects."**

"**Let her go…" Gaara growled.**

**Damasu looked surprised. "And what will you do if I don't? Our 'technology' has increased thanks to the Hidden Village of Leaf. This 'television' let's me see and hear you…just as you can with me. But, you don't know where I am. What I can or can't do, do you? Of course not."**

**Pulling Sunome's hair so her closed eyes stared at Gaara, Damasu held a kunai to her neck. **

"**Do as I say…or she will die," he said. "First take off your gourd."**

**Gaara did as he said, his eyes burning with hate.**

"**Now a nin will take your gourd away, do not do anything."**

**Gaara obeyed, letting one of the nins drag the gourd of sand away. **

"**Good, now my nins will lead you somewhere. Do not try anything smart or…" Damasu said, cutting Sunome's neck slightly, "Or…the girl dies. My men will inform me if anything happens." Blood trickled from the cut on her neck. The cut was minor, but Gaara knew he had to listen to him to save her. The screen grew black after that.**

**Gaara closed his eyes. Luckily he still had his sand armor on. He'd have to listen to the kage's orders and leave the nins alive…for now. **

"**Come on…" a ninja said, standing right in front of Gaara. Opening his eyes, he glared at the nin. The ninja stepped back, and then straightened himself.**

"**Do anything smart and she'll die."**

**Reaching a large building, Gaara went inside, with all nins on all his sides. They went downstairs, and Gaara saw multiple cells. They passed all of them, stopping only at the last one. Its door was a rotting wood and could easily be broken. The door was also covered by paper notes with writing. As one of ninjas opened the door, the other motioned him inside. Passing the ninjas, he saw them smirk, while others snickered. After he went inside, the ninja who had motioned him closed the door.**

**Instantly, Gaara felt his chakra lessen, as if something was eating it.**

**A ninja looked at Gaara through one of the openings. "Didn't expect that right? Did you think we'd forget about your precious sand armor? We know it's held together by chakra and so the Kazekage studied Kisame's sword. It eats chakra and he devised it so that this room does too. But don't worry, it won't kill you…the Kazekage has other plans."**

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**When the last of the nins had left, Gaara dropped to the ground. Pounds of sand fell off him, and his breathing labored. He couldn't believe he had fallen into Damasu's trap. Cursing, he tried to stand, but failed. His face hit the cold stone floor. **

**Hours later, when there was little chakra left and he could hardly move his body, the door opened. He heard two ninjas walk toward him. They picked him up and slammed him against the wall, leaving Gaara breathless. Letting him go, Gaara slumped against the wall. After chaining his wrists to the wall, the Kazekage entered. Gaara glared at theprevious spokesperson, Damasu.**

**Damasu smiled. "Why the angry face, Gaara-kun?" he asked.**

**Laughing, he knelt down to Gaara. "I've waited so long for this to happen. Your death will prove me honorable. But we're going to have fun for now."**

**Standing back up, he turned around and waved his hand.**

"**Do as you like with him, but be sure to stick the notes back up on the door,after you're finished. I've got business to do."**

**As he left the cell, 12 of the ninjas followed, leaving four behind. Smiling at Gaara, they cracked their knuckles as they gathered around him.**

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**A/N: I know, I know…not what you expected. Neither did I…but its where this story lead me. Hope you're not too angry with this chapter…but be prepared for the next one! It'll be better….hopefully.**


	12. Kankurou

**A/N: Right to the chapter after these messages:**

**Ryushi: Ah gomen…but I thought that Gaara could only use sand in his gourd? He can add more sand, but it has to be added with his original sand. If not, that was a big mistake, on my half.**

**Arisa and tipg92: Thank you for staying with this fan fiction…hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

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**"Uh…" Sunome moaned. Waking up, she felt two things at once: the painful throbbing in her head and the cool metal against her wrists. Startled by the cool metal, she opened her eyes to see that she was in a cell. About to wonder how she got here, she remembered what had happened.**

'**That's right. After Gaara had left, two nins somehow sneaked into the house. I remember preparing a water clone when I blacked out. Sneaky bastards, I didn't even know there was one behind me' Sunome thought. 'How did they get behind me, anyhow?'**

**Thinking for a few moments, she shook the thought away and started pulling on the chains. As she pulled on the chains, another thought emerged: Temari. Panicking, she looked around in hopes that Temari was here. **

"**Temari!" Sunome shouted. Hearing no response, she grabbed the chains and pulled on them more. 'Maybe Temari is still unconscious. If that's the case, I'm going to have to break out of this cell and find her.' She thought, furiously pulling the chains. As she used her feet to push herself from the wall, she heard a weak laughter. **

**Stopping, she asked, "Who's there? Temari?"**

**Looking deeply inside the cell opposite to hers, she saw a dark figure stiffen.**

"**How do you know her?" the figure asked.**

"**Who? Temari? What business is it to you?" she asked, crossing her legs.**

"**None, just curious," he said.**

**Bored as she was, Sunome decided to tell. "I found her in the desert. I mean Gaara and I found her. She was like, half dead…so I revived her."**

"**Ga-Gaara?" he asked.**

**Sunome could almost feel him look at her. "Ye-yea. So?"**

"**Sabaku No Gaara is dead. How do you know him?"**

"**Why does everybody think he's dead? Anyway, I revived him too…I found him in another village and decided to help him."**

**As the figure nodded his head, Sunome grew curious.**

"**Where are we?"**

"**In the Hidden Village of Sand," he answered. **

**Standing, she shouted, "In the Sand village! Is Gaara here? Did you see him?"**

"**Whoa, whoa, I thought he was dead. So, no…I haven't seen him. And calm down. Jeez."**

**Sitting back down, she looked at the ground. Looking up, she asked, "Who are you? And why are you here anyway?"**

**She heard him scoff. "Kankurou. That's my name. And I'm here because I was tricked."**

**Feeling a light go off, she faintly remembered someone saying his name. Thinking intensely, she snapped her fingers, remembering.**

"**You're that no good brother of Temari and Gaara! You bastard! Sending your own sister to her death! You asshole, if I could get my hands on you…you…would…be…dead!" Sunome screamed, trying to pry herself out of the handcuffs.**

**Kankurou started laughing. "Looks like you can't though. And that's the both of us, so you better get used to it."**

"**You don't know that. Maybe _you_ can't…but I can. Watch and learn."**

**Releasing a hidden kunai that was loosely tied to her clothing, she grabbed the blade with her feet. **

'**Mom always said to be prepared and to always carry a weapon. Thanks mom.' Sunome said to herself.**

**With that thought, she raised the kunai, with her feet, to her teeth. From there, she gave the kunai to her left hand. As she tried to stick the thick blade into the tiny hole of the right cuff, she found it was too large. **

"**Kuso, I'll have to try and break it."**

**Hoping to chip off the kunai so that it was small enough to fit in the tiny hole of the cuff, she raised her hand as high as she could, then threw it on the ground. The weapon was unbroken, so she reached the kunai with her feet, and tried again. After multiple times, she grew tired, but refused to give up. Kankurou, on the other hand, chuckled and enjoyed Sunome's useless efforts to try and break the knife.**

**Time passed, and Sunome was still trying to break the kunai. However, she was rather letting it drop onto the ground, then throwing it. Kankurou had also grown tired and bored. **

"**Here, I'll break it for you," he said.**

**Sunome looked up. "You're not cuffed?"**

"**Heh. No, I'm useless without my puppets."**

**Sunome nodded, "Ok, if you think you can break it, I'll try and throw it to you."**

**She would rather have fought to ask why he wouldn't help her before, but she had grown weak and tired. Grabbing the kunai once again in her teeth, she slowly moved left to right for more length. Letting go, the kunai hit the ground a few inches from Kankurou's cell. Kankurou easily grabbed it, then quickly got down to breaking the mini knife. **

**The task took three tries and Kankurou finally chipped the kunai off. Throwing the long, thin chip back to Sunome, he kept the blade to himself. Sunome luckily caught it between her teeth. Unfortunately, the chip also pricked the inside of her mouth as well. Ignoring the slight pain, she carefully grabbed the chip and started picking at the cuffs. In moments, the cuff opened. Smiling widely, she opened the handcuff on her left hand. Jumping up, she first stretched her body, twisting it in all directions. **

"**Yes! I'm free of those cuffs! Now I just have to get out of this cell in order to get Gaara," she said aloud.**

"**Good luck on that," scoffed Kankurou.**

**Sunome huffed. "You just wait. I got out of those cuffs and getting out of this cell will be just as easy."**

'**With my help,' Kankurou thought. Amused at how she was going to escape, he kept the thought to himself. 'Besides,' he thought, 'I can't wait to see when her hope diminishes.'**

**Sunome looked around, hoping to find any sources of water. In a corner, she found a bucket of cold water. Sunome smiled at her luck. **

**Preparing her jutsu, she Sunome whispered, "Mizu no Katana no Jutsu (Sword of Water)!"**

**Instantly, the water from the bucket flew toward Sunome's right hand. Forming a sword, it hardened after Sunome grabbed it.**

**She smiled at Kankurou, who wasn't smiling back. This made Sunome smile more, as she positioned the sword to cut the iron bars. Using her chakra, she swung the blade as hard as she could. Unfortunately, the blade failed to cut the bars. Confused, she tried to cut the bars again. Each time was as unsuccessful as the first. Becoming slightly angry, she knew time wasn't on her side. 'What if Temari is dead because of me?' she thought, as she swung the blade again. 'What if Gaara comes back to find that her sister and I are dead?' **

**Letting her thoughts roam her head, Sunome became angrier and more scared. She knew she had to be strong, but she was also scared if she was too late. Although her eyes were of anger, tears streamed down as she swung the sword again and again. **

**Finally, she broke down, letting the sword go and falling to her knees. The sword became a puddle of water as Sunome put her head down, her hands grasping the bars. Her hair fell toward her face so that you could only see the drop of tears falling onto the floor. **

**Kankurou smirked at the broken Sunome. He hated kids and finally he got to see one cry. But as she continued to cry, he started to feel a little bad. But just a little. Sighing he said, "Come on, it's not that bad. You gave it your best shot…but it just didn't work out." **

**He wasn't really good at helping others feel better, but he noticed that Sunome had stopped crying. After some time, the air grew heavy with silence and Kankurou smiled nervously. **

**Sunome slowly stood up, her hair still covering her face. Then swiftly sweeping her hair back, she smiled. Her eyes were still closed, but the tears had diminished. Kankurou cocked his head slightly. He could feel that Sunome's chakra had greatly increased. **

**Sunome pulled her head back, releasing a deep, throaty laugh. Her eyes were still closed as she sighed. Opening her eyes, she stared at the ceiling first. Then her piercing purple eyes set on Kankurou.**

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**A/N: Hoped you enjoyed this chapter…sorry for the long wait. Hopefully the next one will be in a shorter time as I will be having a 6-day break. Bye for now!**


	13. Back again

**A/N: Thank you all readers, old and new, for reviewing! Here are my comments:**

**Ryushi: My fault…obviously. Sorry for my misinformation…hope this chapter is better and accurate. Thanks for sticking with my story!**

**Tipg92, Nightmare Terror, EvoAngel, Luna Forest, and zoeluver: Glad you like the story and hope you enjoy this one as well!**

**InsaneScriptist: Please write all grammatical errors. I'm very happy that you enjoy my story, but if there are problems I will be more than happy to change them in the future. Plus, it'll help me become better in my writing style.**

**AzarGoddess: Sorry for my clumsiness. True, I haven't paid attention to the ratings, and thank you for reminding me. I have to admit I was hurt at your first remarks, but now I appreciate it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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**Still laying her eyes on Kankurou, she whispered, "Mizu No Katana No Jutsu (Sword of Water)!"**

**Saying those words, the puddle of water instantly became a hardened sword again. Smiling devilishly, she cut the bars like paper. As the metal bars clanked again the stone floor, she slowly walked toward Kankurou's cell. **

**Gulping, Kankurou asked, "H-Hey, what's wrong?"**

**Hearing no response, he inched away from the nearing figure, until he hit the wall. Closing his eyes, he heard the wind of the blade, then the clanking of iron bars again. Before opening his eyes, he felt the hard, wet edge of the blade. **

"**Where is Gaara?" Kita demanded. **

"**I-I don't know."**

"**Tell me where he is if you wish to live."**

"**I-I don't know, I didn't even know he was alive…I already told you that."**

**As he opened his eyes, he saw Sunome drop the sword of water. Grabbing his outfit with one hand she raised him up, and then pushed him against the wall.**

"**Aah! Who the hell are you?" Kankurou asked, after regaining his breath.**

"**I'm the eldest sister, Kita. Now, where is Gaara? I swear, if you do not answer, I will rip your head out."**

**Panicking, Kankurou answered, "I-I don't know."**

**As Kita grabbed his head, Kankurou shouted, "BUT! But, I heard some of the ninjas talking about a chakra dispersing room. I think it's somewhere in this building…"**

**Letting go, Kankurou hit the floor hard. As Kankurou rubbed his bottom, Kita slowly walked out of his cell. **

"**Ouch…hey wait! How did you manage to cut those bars?" he asked.**

**She stopped, which earned a sweat drop on Kankurou. Without looking, she answered, "Fool, do you think me weak as my younger sister?"**

**With that, she slowly walked away. Kankurou, on the other hand,then grew angry that a kid had made him feel scared. 'Like Gaara,' Kankurou thought bitterly. Grabbing the hidden kunai Sunome had earlier, he threw it as stealthily and quickly as possible. Unfortunately, Kita caught it between two fingers. Quickly turning around, she threw it back to Kankurou, hitting his leg.**

"**Let that be a reminder to you. I am no ordinary ninja. And…" Kita said as she stood up. "Be happy that I did not hit a critical part of your body. A ninja who cannot fight isn't worth dying by my hands."**

**Walking away, she left Kankurou holding his bleeding leg. **

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**Kita walked around, hoping to find someone to kill. She never knew that Sunome would ever let her have control of the body. She smirked. Sunome was a fool to think that she would help _save_ Gaara. The only think she wanted of him was death. He was also a fool to think that she needed saving. She had thought him dead, but feeling Sunome's worthless emotion made her know better. **

"**Such a disgusting feeling," she said to herself out loud. Walking some more, Kita grew angrier and angrier as there were no nins in sight. She also grew frustrated as she heard Sunome's voice pleading to let her have her body back. Although for the first few moments, she enjoyed her little sister's useless begging, it was now growing troublesome. **

"**SHUT UP!" she screamed. She never knew that her sister was ever this annoying, but luckily her sister had quieted. Resuming to walking and checking rooms, Kita saw stairs and headed that way. Going down, she looked to the end to see a rotting door with pieces of paper with writing. Standing in front of the door, Kita put her hand on the door. Instantly, she felt her chakra being sucked. Snatching her hand away, she grew angry and tore the paper with her hands. She never had control of her anger and neither did Sunome.**

**When at last every piece of paper was torn on the ground, did Kita's anger settle. Smirking, she grew excited as she knew what was behind the rotting door. Opening the door, she heard her sister complaining again, but ignored it. As she stepped into the room, Kita widened her eyes.**

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**A/N: I know this wasn't the BEST chapter...but please live with it…my life has suddenly gotten a whole lot busier. I also thought that my break would be relaxing….but I had many sleepovers and had to go out a lot. Sorry for the super late update. I also know that this chapter was very short…but don't worry. I will try my best to make the next chapter longer and more enjoyable.**


	14. Gaara! ?

**A/N: Hey reviewers! You all should know that this story is nearing its end…and this is NOT the final chapter! I don't really have anything else, except thank you for reviewing again (Luna Forest, EvoAngel, Hiko-chan, and Kelsey!) **

**Now onto the chapter!**

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**The shock that ran through Sunome's body, thrust Kita back in and Sunome out. There Gaara slumped, his wrists hanging by the chains. His face was slightly bruised and he looked unconscious. Slowly moving closer, she saw crusted blood on his clothes. Gulping, she feared that her rescue was too late and that Gaara was dead. Luckily, she saw the slight movement of his head, a twitch. Sighing, a breath of relief, she kneeled down in front of him. He made no motion to move and Sunome thought perhaps it was because he was too weak to. Rubbing her hands together, she held her breath. She wasn't prefect at healing, but she had practiced weekly. She knew she could heal the cuts, like she did with Temari, but it was the bruises she had problems with. Closing all the cuts, she put her hands over Gaara face. As she stared at him, she realized that even with the small bruises, Gaara looked so peaceful. Realizing her first task, she breathed in and out, and then concentrated her chakra on his face. **

**After what seemed like hours, Gaara's face was finally perfect. Sunome smiled at herself, proud that she had healed him. But as she looked at Gaara's peaceful face, she also noticed his hanging wrists. Standing back up, she grabbed both sides of the chain and pulled. The chain broke so easily that Sunome had to take a step back. Curious, she remembered the markings on the paper. The chains were easy to break because there was no reason to make it unbreakable if the prisoner had little chakra. After she broke the second chain, she sat back down in front of Gaara. Since his eyes were still closed, Sunome decided to give some of her own chakra to him. Rubbing her hands again, she was about to place them against her chest, when his eyes opened. **

**Excited, she started to talk when he pushed her away from him. She fell back, stunned at his action. Ignoring her, he stood and then walked…not even acknowledging her presence. Angry, she stood in front of him.**

"**Gaara! What the hell is wrong with you!" she yelled. **

**As he neared her, she instantly felt the burning hatred. His eyes were clouded with excitement and revenge, as Sunome spread her hands.**

"**You can't go out there. We've got to get Temari…and we have to think! Don't let your anger control you!" Sunome pleaded.**

**However, her words were useless as she was slapped in the face. The impact was so hard that Sunome hit against the wall. Blood coughed out as she hit the cemented wall. Quickly wiping the blood off, she ran back to him. She remembered last time that his hug had brought her back; perhaps she could do the same thing this time. Running to the front, she turned around and hugged him. His feet stopped and Sunome smiled knowing he was back. Unfortunately, she felt fingers wrap around her neck. Before she knew it, she was she was on the tips of her toes, trying to breathe. Choking, she stared at Gaara's outraged look.**

"**Gaara…Ga-Gaara…" Sunome whispered, as she tried to pry his hand off her neck.**

**Looking around, she saw sand slowly edging closer to Gaara. Thinking pain would bring him back, she tried kick him in the stomach. But Gaara's other hand caught her foot. 'Damn' Sunome thought. Getting angry, she didn't want to release Kita again…even if it meant death, so she tried staying in control. Thinking of only one thing to save her life, she scratched him. Reacting, Gaara threw her back and Sunome hit against the wall again. More blood spat out, but Sunome was persistent. As she sat against the wall, she smiled. Wiping the blood off her mouth again, she ran to Gaara again as he walked out of the cell. Running around him, she ran closer and then jumped. Her lips connected with Gaara's as she rested her hands on his shoulders. **

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**Gaara snapped his head back. Seeing Sunome's dazed look, he caught her before she fell to the ground. **

**As she smiled weakly, he asked, "What happened?"**

**She only chuckled, as she stood back up. Searching her face, he saw slight red marks and blood on the side of her lips. He then tasted her blood on his own lips, surprised that he wasn't excited. 'Did I do that?' Gaara asked himself. He knew his anger wasn't always easy to control, but this time, it had gone to far. Growing slightly angry, his only thought rested on the Kazekage, Damasu. Resuming his emotionless mask, he knew he first had to find his gourd. Then he would deal with Damasu.**

**While Gaara was thinking his own thoughts, Sunome had finally snapped out of her dazed look, and was now excited.**

"**Gaara! I'm so glad you're okay…what happened to you?" she asked, cocking her head.**

**Gaara looked away. "Nothing."**

**Giving a shy smile, she said, "Fine…I won't press it…for now. But we have to find Temari right now. She could be in a worse situation than you were!"**

**Gaara, on the other hand, doubted that Temari was even in the village, but he was unsure and decided not to argue. Crossing his arm, he said nothing and started to walk out of the cell. **

**Sunome, deciding that Gaara was agreeing with her, also walked. Edging closer, she slowly raised her hand near Gaara's. When she was centimeters away, she gave another shy smile. Unfortunately, the sand had returned and blocked her hand from touching his. Sad, she was about to let her arm fall, when the sand fell and circled Gaara and Sunome. Taking a hint, she grabbed his arm, almost hugging it. Surprised, Gaara widened his eyes, but later returned to his masked face. As both of them walked out of the cell, Sunome felt her smile spread across her slightly beaten face.**

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**A/N: I hope you guys all liked that chapter…I was going to make this the last chapter…but decided against it (Not end it like this…I was going to put the 'ending' there…). So, I hope you all look forward to the next not-last chapter!**


	15. Caught again!

**A/N: Thank you reviewers again for reviewing! I hope that last chapter was entertaining and enjoyable! Now after these habitual thanks, off to the chapter!**

**Hiko-chan: Lol…after re-reading the chapter I did find it odd that Gaara's acceptance was in a jail cell.**

**Luna Forest: Don't worry...they will kick a lot of ass later on**

**Ryushi: Hmm…I've never heard of a beta…but I'll check that out soon…also, when I load my document into it seems to either delete words and my grammars or smash them together. So please bear with me…also, thanks again for sticking with the story!**

**Tipg92: You will find out soon enough…although I'm not sure if it's in this chapter…**

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**Gaara and Sunome continued to clasp each other's hand as they walked up the stairs. Gaara remembered exactly where to go and turned left. As Sunome occupied herself by looking at the rooms to the side, Gaara couldn't help feeling odd. Looking down at his own fingers entwined with Sunome, he thought about letting her hold his hand. It was a simple movement, and yet he felt his heart beat slightly faster. Although his heart usually beat faster around victims before killing them, this time it was different. He felt _something_ that he couldn't place and smirked, until he raised his head and looked at Sunome's face. It wasn't that beat up, but he felt guilty that he had actually hurt her. His rage had gotten the best of him and Sunome was in the middle of it. He then remembered the kiss, which had broken his rage, and couldn't help feeling amazed. As he thought about Sunome's lips over his, Sunome's voice broke his thoughts,**

"**Hey…" she said, tugging on Gaara's hand.**

**Leading him into a room, Gaara was the first to let his hand go, when he found his gourd. As he swung the gourd over his back, Sunome had gone into another room, which was connected to the one Gaara was in. Gaara made no move to follow her as she quickly popped her head out.**

"**Hey, look at what I found!" she yelled.**

**Coming out of the room, she held two puppets.**

**As she examined them, she said, "They kind of look funny…and they're so dirty! I wonder why they don't have any strings attached. Hmm…I wonder who the owner is too."**

**As Sunome continued to examine them, Gaara already knew who they belonged to when he first laid eyes on them.**

"**Karasu and Kuroari…" Gaara said.**

**Sunome looked to Gaara's direction. "Hmm…do you know who these puppets belong to? Are those their names?"**

**Gaara sighed at Sunome's seemingly endless questions. "Let's go."**

"**No," Sunome said, stomping her foot. "I want to know."**

**Gaara sighed again. Looking at her face, he answered, "The owner is Kankurou. And they aren't mere puppets, they're weapons. He uses his chakra strings to control them."**

**As Sunome made an O with her mouth, she gently laid them on the floor. When the puppets settled on the floor, Karasu's head turned slightly, staring at Sunome. Feeling nervous, she quickly ran to Gaara, who had already left the room. **

**Both were deep in thought, as they walked upstairs. Whereas Gaara was deciding if Kankurou was actually in on the plan, Sunome was deciding whether to tell Gaara about her meeting with Kankurou. She decided against it, and thought of other things. Licking her lips, she tasted her own blood, and thought about healing herself. After some time, she decided against that too. 'What if I need to use my chakra to help Gaara?' she thought. Nodding her head, she knew she had to save what was left of her chakra.**

**After many turns and hallways, Gaara and Sunome finally were outside. Shielding her eyes, she stopped.**

"**Wait, we didn't find Temari…we have to go back," she said, turning around.**

"**No. If Temari was here, her fan would've been where you found my gourd. Even the sand ninjas know how important it is to her. They wouldn't let her have it, but they would at least keep it close. That just proves how worthless those bastards are," Gaara said.**

**He continued to walk, and Sunome reluctantly followed. Although she preferred to go back and look for Temari, she knew Gaara knew these people better. Both walked in silence. After several minutes, Gaara stopped, and Sunome barely bumped into him, but luckily, stopped short. **

"**What?" she asked agitatedly. **

"**We're close," he said, before moving again.**

**Sunome listened. Distantly, she heard a male voice talking. Shrugging, she continued to follow Gaara. As they neared a building, Gaara knelt. Sunome could hear the voice on the other side of the building.**

"**Who's that?" Sunome asked.**

**Gaara ignored the question. Instead he concentrated, putting two fingers over his left eye and nearing the ground with his other hand. Sunome watched carefully, interested and curious as to what Gaara was doing.**

"**Daisan no Me (Third Eye)!" Gaara whispered. **

**Amazed, Sunome saw sand swirl into Gaara's right hand. Removing his hand, Sunome looked closer and found herself looking at an eyeball. Jumping back, she scrambled away, too shocked to scream. Gaara glanced at Sunome, who was breathing heavily, still staring at the object looking straight back at her. Remembering his objective, Gaara let the eye float. It hovered closer to the ground as it disappeared to the other side of the building. **

**Sunome gave a breath of relief. Returning to her position, she finger combed her hair as Gaara looked straight ahead.**

"**There are 76 ninjas." Gaara whispered, making Sunome jump.**

"**76?" Sunome asked.**

**Gaara nodded. "Most of them are missing nins."**

**Widening his eye, his fist clenched again.**

"**But 16 of them are sand nins."**

**Sunome instantly felt anger heat and then die around her as Gaara had clenched his fist. 'Did some of those ninjas do something to Gaara?' she asked herself. Thinking, another thought finally hit her. 'Were they the ones that harmed Gaara?' **

**Clenching her own fist, she was about to charge when a hand wrapped around her mouth.**

"**Mmf!" Sunome screamed. **

"**Don't move," a voice said.**

**Snapping his head towards Sunome, Gaara stood to face a shadow ninja and Sunome. **

**Gaara smirked, "Holding Sunome hostage isn't smart thing to do."**

**Getting into position, the shadow ninja waved his finger at him.**

"**Neither are you," he remarked.**

**Stopping he saw nins walkbehind the shadow ninja. Without continuing to look around, Gaara already knew that all 76 ninjas were surrounding Sunome, Gaara, and the shadow nin.**

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**A/N: Yay! Hoped you liked this chapter…I'm not sure how long the next one will take. As I have many projects and other stuff this week and the next. So! Remember to review as if there are a lot, a chapter will be coming shortly. If not, well, you get the point. Bye for now!**


	16. Time for battle!

**A/N: Thanks all who reviewed! Now, as usual, my comments back to the reviewers:**

**Luna Forest: Glad you enjoyed the chapter and yes, you're right. There is going to be major ass kicking in this chapter!**

**MazdaKitsune and tipg92: Glad I've got you guys wrapped in the suspense!**

**Ryushi: Thanks for the compliments….so, where are you supposed to get one? Are you supposed to buy one or get it on-line? Thanks very much!**

**WARNING: This chapter is a bit disturbing… (To me at least).**

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'**Damn!' thought Sunome. She knew she had played hostage before, but not this time. She tried to wrestle out of his grip, but he only held onto her tighter. She glared at the shadow nin, but he was too busy staring at Gaara. Looking back at Gaara, she saw multiple nins behind him. Widening her eyes, she looked around and found that they were surrounded by the ninjas Gaara was spying on. Thinking the man would lessen his grip with his comrades behind him, Sunome began to concentrate. When she felt the shadow ninja weaken his grip on Sunome, she took the chance. Jumping up, she bit the man's fingers, which caused the ninja to let go of Sunome. Then, in a matter of seconds, she turned around and kicked the ninja in the neck. As he fell down, she noticed a patch of sand rising behind him. **

"**I don't need your help," Sunome said, walking towards Gaara. "I already told you…I can take care of myself."**

"**I know that," Gaara said. letting his sand consume the body.**

"**Then why don't you just keep your sand to yourself!" Sunome snapped.**

**Gaara just growled. How was he supposed to know that she was going to make a move? He didn't. Nonetheless, he knew fighting each other wasn't a smart thing to do. **

**Sunome took his silence as a sign that she won. Nodding her head, both went into position. Sunome scanned for any signs of water. Looking past the ninjas, she found a well. She knew it was going to be tough to get past the men, but she also knew she had to try. She looked to Gaara and then back to the well. Gaara nodded. Running forward, Gaara threw his sand toward the mass of ninjas. Less that half of the ninjas in Sunome's way were wiped out. But that was enough for her. As Gaara concentrated his attacks on those around him, so did Sunome. She punched a face, ducked under, sprang back up, kicked someone in the balls, ducked again, and punched someone in the jaw, as she stood back up. It seemed more and more ninjas kept coming, but Sunome kept fighting. She punched again, jabbed someone in the neck, kicked between someone's legs, and ducked under before a ninja could grab her. Finally, she noticed the well, and merely ducked and ran. She had to save her chakra for her jutsus. **

**Gaara, on the other hand, wasn't having much trouble. None of the ninjas could touch him. Those nearest him were swallowed by the sand and then, there was only the crunching of bones. Other ninjas tried their techniques on him, but all failed. As the blood coated his sand, Gaara tried containing his excitement. Keeping half of his mind busy by killing his endless supply of opponents, he tried to keep his other half of his mind on Sunome.**

**Sunome breathed heavily as she stood on top of the well. She smiled, as she looked at the soft ripples of the water. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. **

**After silently thanking her mother, she yelled, "Mizu No Katana No Jutsu (Sword of Water)!"**

**A huge, liquid sword appeared in her right hand. Smiling devilishly, she quickly ran back to the crowd of ninjas. They smiled back at her, but their smile vanished as they were sliced by the sharp blade. One ninja tried to grab her, but his arms were sliced off. Sunome ended his pain quickly, by digging her sword into his chest. As she pulled the large knife out of his body, crowds of ninjas swarmed around her.**

'**Taking them one by one isn't going to help,' a voice said.**

"**Shut up!" Sunome yelled. "I don't need your stupid help right now, Kita."**

'**That's what you think,' Kita said.**

**With that, a switch went on, and Sunome started swinging wildly. Body parts were cut off and blood splattered across Sunome's face. Screams and shrieks were heard, and yet, Sunome had no reaction. She deflected a kunai, dug her sword into a neck, and pulled it out. Bodies fell before her, but Sunome's angry actions seemed endless.**

**Gaara widened his eyes, as he saw Sunome grow out of control. 'If she continues this, Kita will come out again,' Gaara thought. Luckily, as Sunome neared Gaara, the men started jumping away. They knew that Sunome was trouble, and jumped away from the site. Soon, it was only Gaara, Sunome, and the heap of bodies. Whereas Sunome kept on swinging her blade, Gaara's sand consumed the dead bodies. He didn't want her to see the mass of ninjas she had killed. Doing so, might giver her another reason to release Kita. **

**After some time, the switch turned off, andSunome stopped swinging. She stared at nothing as she dropped onto her knees; her anger gone. She also let her sword go, and the dry sand sucked the blood-coated liquid. Gaara walked in front of her and knelt. Her eyes were blank as he stared at them, but soon tears appeared in her forest green eyes. Throwing herself onto Gaara, she wept on his clothes. Gaara had almost fell back, but somehow, he knew it was going to happen. Although this was the second time she had cried on him, Gaara was still unsure of what to do. Slowly, he rested his hand on Sunome's shoulder. The action seemed to work, as Sunome's tears stopped flowing.**

**She slowly pushed herself against Gaara.**

"**I don't know what happened. I heard Kita's voice and then I was back in my memory of when mother died. I was so powerless, when I held her body. I couldn't do anything. I guess I got angry for being so powerless and used my anger against those ninjas. If they hadn't left, Kita would've taken control of my body. That's what she intended on doing. Now I know why the villagers hate me…because I'm just like her," Sunome said, tears reappearing.**

**But before the tears fell on her cheek, she wiped them away with her sleeve.**

"**You must think I'm pretty pathetic right now, huh?" she asked, looking down.**

"**No. Everyone loses control sometime," Gaara said.**

**Sunome gave a weak smile.**

"**Thanks."**

**Gaara only nodded, before standing back up. Sunome followed Gaara's action and also stood.**

"**Okay then. Now to give that bastard a piece of my mind," Sunome said, as if the moment earlier had never happened.**

**Gaara only smirked. He was glad Sunome was back on her feet, but surprised that she was that eager to fight again. 'Perhaps I should be giving more credit to Sunome,' thought Gaara. As he watched her walk ahead, he shook his head. Her energy and personality oddly reminded him of Naruto.**

"**It's the other way," Gaara said, walking the other way.**

**Sunome tensed, feeling stupid all over again.**

**Trying to cover herself, she said, "Oh, I thought you mumbled going that way…I must've heard wrong."**

**Chuckling nervously, she ran to catch up with Gaara. Walking side-by-side, she felt her cheeks grow red, and she knew it wasn't from the beating sun.**

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**A/N: Okay! Hope you all enjoyed that chapter. The next chapter may take some time...so please be patient! Thanks and bye for now!**


	17. To the Arena!

**A/N: Okay reviewers! The last chapter is coming up! So! I, again, thank you all reviewers for reading and reviewing! **

**Luna Forest: Lol…yes there will be more fighting…you'll see (hehe).**

**Ryushi: Ah…I feel like a fool. But, yes…I do have a friend with superb English skills. However, she is sick of fanfiction (she was the one that told me about this site, actually). And I am also embarrassed to say that I am in AP Language and Composition. I guess I should be concentrating on my skills better…sighs**

**Tipg92: Haha…hope it wasn't _too_ disturbing. Love the way you say 'chu!' at the end, though.**

**MazdaKitsune: I'm glad you're excited! You've gotten me all excited to write this!**

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**Sunome looked at the beating sun, as her sweat trickled on her forehead. Panting, she looked to Gaara. He still had his arms crossed and that emotionless mask. She furrowed her brows. 'Why wasn't Gaara sweating?' she asked herself. Although sweating was a disgusting thing, the fact that Gaara wasn't even reacting to the heat bothered her more. 'Maybe they're used to the heat…' Sunome thought. After all, many people who did visit her village thought their water was too cold. Sunome had always thought that absurd, as she knew the water was always the perfect temperature for swimming. Realizing that she was thinking about water, she could picture herself back in the lake. She could almost feel its cool, refreshing feel as it would splash onto her legs. Licking her lips, she could almost taste the soft, clear liquid, when her thoughts were interrupted. **

"**There's the arena," Gaara said.**

**Resuming her panting mode, she shielded her eyes to see. Squinting, she saw a small brown object. **

"**Arena?" she asked.**

"**You'll see when we get there," he said. But the truth was, he only knew that an 'arena' was a large circular building. The Kazekage, who had tried to kill him, had spoken of it once. However, Gaara ignored the speech of its purpose and instead, went on a killing spree. Then, when he was in that chakra draining room, he overheard Damasu addressing a ninja to meet him in an arena. **

**Sunome and Gaara stood gazing at the gigantic 'arena'. Sunome widened her eyes. She never expected it to be this big. Walking inside, she noticed that though the arena was huge, it was poorly made. There were moderately-sized holes and she felt weak thinking that the arena might collapse on her. Shuddering, she shook herself to get rid of the goosebumps and walked straight.**

**Once again, Sunome and Gaara were in the sun's way. Then a booming voice was heard.**

"**Ha ha! Welcome Gaara and Sunome…to my ARENA!"**

**Both looking up, they saw Damasu above them a few yards away. He was standing on a seat, and then jumped to their level.**

**Smirking, he asked, "Don't you like it?"**

**Gaara just tightened his fist. Sunome looked to Gaara, and then the man. 'Maybe this is the man who hurt Gaara,' Sunome thought. Whatever the case may be, she knew he was trouble.**

"**No?" smiled Damasu. **

**Walking forward, he crossed his arms to his back. "It took many villagers to complete it. It may not be the prettiest, but it sure is strong."**

**Damasu looked around, admiring the stadium, and then turned his eyes back to the monsters.**

"**I didn't really think you'd make it this far. It seems my army of missing nins is rather pathetic. How sad...and I expected so _much_ from them. Oh well, I should've known that only I, Damasu, could get the job finished."**

**Looking to his side, he nodded his head to a missing nin near by. The missing nin jumped in front of him, handing him a clothed object. When the nin jumped back to his post, Damasu smiled at them.**

**Unwrapping the object he asked, "Do you know what this is?"**

**He smiled at the silence.**

"**Silly me, of course you wouldn't. Monsters like you two don't know about the future. About the power and wealth it can give."**

**He smiled again, as he looked at Sunome's eyes widening.**

"**Oh? You didn't know? I know of your past. How monstrous you and your sister were. Lucky you, that mommy was there to protect you, until you killed her. Now I'll finally get rid of you monsters and I will become powerful in the country."**

**He laughed hideously, as Sunome started shaking. Gaara put his hand on Sunome's shoulder. The action seemed to calm her down. When Sunome stopped shaking completely, Gaara turned his angry eyes at Damasu. With a whip of his hand, he threw his sand directly at Damasu. He was hoping he could slowly constrict him to death. Unfortunately, Damasu saw the action and circled around. He threw the cloth away, revealing adark object at Gaara.**

**A thundering, echoing sound was heard, causing Sunome to jump. She looked at Damasu, who resumed his laughter. His body was undamaged, and Gaara's sand had fallen to the ground. Almost afraid to look at Gaara, she forced her eyes to stare at him. She widened her eyes again. Gaara was still standing, but he was breathing heavily. His mouth was open, trying to inhale as much air as possible. He was alsogrippinghis arm. His left hand clutched the arm, as blood seeped between his finger and slwoly trailed to the end of his other hand. Gaara still stared at Damasu, his arm dripping with the red liquid.**

**Damasu finally stopped laughing to smile at Gaara's angry face. He then looked to Gaara's bloody arm, as it dripped onto the hot sand.**

"**Oh, this'll be easy."**

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**A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter! I just love cliffhangers…don't you? I'm very sorry if the chapter was short...darn these widths...they're too wide!Lol, oh well…I'm off to write the next one…bye bye for now! **


	18. New Weapon! ?

**A/N: Hello all reviewers! Very sorry about the late update…I actually had this chapter done weeks earlier…but I had to system restore my computer…..5 times! Anyway, my comments back to you guys:**

**Ryushi: Was that sarcasm? Well, I admit you are right on one half…but wrong on the other. Nonetheless, I love your feedbacks! **

**Luna Forest: Sorry for the super late update…but here's MORE! Hehe**

**Tipg92: Lol…I know…but I wanted to add some fun into it…you know what I mean? Anyway, read on to see what the "weapon" is…**

**MazdaKitsune: You are half correct. Plus, I didn't know Snow Nins had guns…must watch movie again…**

**Kira: Yay! New Reviewer….hope this was fast enough…though I know it's not…**

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**Sunome looked wildly from Gaara to the Kazekage. She had heard that noise before…when she was young. Searching through her memory, her head finally clicked. 'A gun?' thought Sunome. She had once seen one in action, when she was a little girl traveling with her mother. The memory was blurry, but the noise had always frightened her as a child. Staring at the Kazekage, she shook her head. 'No…that couldn't be,' thought Sunome. 'Gaara's sand should be able to withstand bullets. If his sand can crush bones, bullets shouldn't be hard to stop.' Looking deeper, she tried to catch something that wasn't supposed to be seen. 'Maybe the gun was just the bait…something to catch our eyes with, while he did something else to Gaara.'**

"**Looking for something?" the Kazekage asked, interrupting Sunome's thoughts.**

**Sunome just ignored him, she would deal with him later. Now she had to find the hidden weapon.**

"**It's just me and this weapon. I have nothing to hide. You can come and check me if you want," Damasu said, opening his arms and grinning.**

**Sunome just glared at him.**

"**Then how did your weapon injure Gaara? You know, as well as I do, that Gaara's sand isn't the easiest to go through," Sunome asked, looking back at Gaara.**

**Looking back, she saw that Gaara wasn't gripping his wound. Instead, his eyes were closed and his breathing was back to normal. Sunome widened her eyes. 'He's calming himself,' she thought. Smiling, she knew that Gaara wasn't going to let his anger control him this time.**

"**Of course I knew. That creature was _born_ into my village. How could I _not_ know? But, I'll answer your question. It's the least I can do, before I kill you,' Damasu said.**

"**You see, this is no ordinary gun. It requires no bullets. The only penetrating force is the sun itself. This gun actually takes in the sun's heat, storing it in a valve. It has so much power it's sound is similar to a regular gun. It's my creation to the beast standing by you. Although I can't tell you the details of my creation, I can tell you this. Gaara's sand was stopped, because it cannot withstand the sun's heat, like his arm. It's as if both were touched by the sun's surface. And nothing can withstand the sun. But consider yourselves lucky. This gun can't go through two humans in one shot. For some reason, when it hits a living object, it only destroys what it hits. It's odd really. Perhaps I'll use your dead body to find out the cause," Damasu grinned, pointing the gun towards Sunome.**

"**Play time…" he whispered.**

**The gun exploded, and Sunome automatically dropped down. She made it in time, but the heat took out part of the ends of her hair. 'Kuso,' Sunome thought.**

"**Oh? I missed. Let's try a new target," Damasu said, now pointing it towards Gaara. **

**Pulling the trigger, Gaara opened his eyes, and also dodged it. He wouldn't be fooled again. Running to his left, he drew out his sand. He knew he needed to end this quickly. Only a few feet away, he threw his sand, when he sensed another ninja overhead. Darting to the right, his sand protected him from the falling shurikens. When his sand returned, ninjas jumped down, surrounding him. Gaara smirked. He couldn't believe that these many nins were still alive. The ninjas smirked back at him, thinking that because of his wound, he would be weak. As he stared at them, one threw a kunai, starting the battle. He coiled his sand around one, and then another. Preparing to crush them, an intense pain shot up his wounded arm, causing him to let go of the ninjas. 'Shit,' Gaara thought. He hadn't expected that his wound would affect him. Breathing heavily, he threw his sand to a nearing ninja. The sand crushed the nin, before the pain started again. Clutching his arm, he continued to attack the nins, when he heard a shriek. Crushing a nin in his view, he saw Sunome being held down by three men. One nin was holding her chin, as she spat in his face. As he slapped her, Gaara started running towards them. His anger was leaking as he recognized the men from the chakra-draining cell. **

"**Gaara…stop! No! It's a trap!" Sunome shouted, staring at Gaara's angered face.**

**As Damasu angled his gun towards Gaara, Sunome knew she had to do something. Since the nins holding her were occupied with their hope of Gaara's last moment, she decided that was her chance to save him. Biting the nin's finger on her left, he instantly let go, freeing her left arm. Throwing a punch to the nin to her right, she also kicked the nin holding her feet. She threw a hard punch to the nin who had slapped her, before running towards Gaara. The nin whose finger was bit, tried catching her, when he became engulfed with sand. **

**Sunome ran as fast as she could, hoping she could make it in time. Damasu grinned as he pulled the trigger. A loud sound echoed, and Gaara's anger vanished as Sunome fell towards him. He caught her, as both went down onto the ground. **

"**Sunome?" Gaara said, feeling her limp body.**

**Laying her on the ground, he looked at her face. She was smiling as blood trickled down the side of her lips.**

"**Told you it was a trap," Sunome grinned, before wincing. **

**Gaara ignored her words, staring only at her bloody chest. 'Shit,' Gaara thought. His anger had gotten the best of him again, but this time, Sunome was dying. He looked from her wounded chest to her face. She was still smiling as she half-closed her eyes. Continuing to look, he saw Sunome's eyes slowly fading, until he knew she was gone.**

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**A/N: THE END! I'm just kidding. I hope that was a good chapter for you guys. Sorry for the super late update. Like I said, I'm having major problems with my computer…so the next update may be just as long. Anyway bye-bye for now!**


	19. Gaara Unleashed

**A/N: Hey all reviewers! I'm truly sorry for this super late update. My computer is still having major problems…but let me just get on with the story and reviews back to you guys!**

**Ryushi: Lol…glad it wasn't sarcasm. But, I guess you'll find out what happens in this chapter. Sorry about the late update…**

**Kira: Ok! I present to you…the next chapter…enjoy!**

**Luna Forest: Hehehe…I guess you'll just have to read on to find out. Thanks for your thoughts on my problems too!**

**Tipg92: Hahaha….I love your words…they tickle me inside!**

**MazdaKitsune: Oh...ok. Well, everyone gets the message wrong once in a while. But you'll have to read on to see if she is dead or not. Mwahahahahaha. Ha. **

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"**How ironic!" Damasu laughed. "A girl saving a boy?"**

**Throwing his head up, Damasu clutched his sides. He laughed, as Gaara glared at him. Continuing to laugh, Damasu then suddenly stopped. His hands fell to his sides, and he stared back at Gaara.**

"**Or…perhaps you let her die. After all, you kill anyone who's in your way. Poor girl…I could've had fun with her," Damasu said, smiling evilly.**

**Gaara just continued to glare. He had finally found someone to fight for; something to live for, and now she lay dead, besides him. Calmly, he stood up and glanced at Sunome's unseeing eyes. He had had enough.**

**He quickly extended his arms, and the sand engulfed two ninjas beside him. With this action, all ninjas ran toward him. Now, Gaara knew he was free to let go of his rage. He first ran away from Sunome's corpse. Even though she was dead, he didn't want any more injuries inflicted upon her. As he jumped into the air, he turned to face the ninjas, and threw four sand shurikens. The shurikens hit each ninjas in the neck. 'Perfect,' Gaara thought. Darting to the left, he felt a ninja nearby. Quickly turning, he turned his sand and the sand crushed the ninja's face. The body slumped and five ninjas jumped toward Gaara. Gaara circled around and the sand whipped the nins, causing them to hit against the walls. **

**More ninjas came close, and Gaara decided to have a little fun with them. He dodged punches, kicked a nin in the chest, reflected kunais, and punched a couple faces. This continued for minutes, as the seven ninjas desperately tried to hit Gaara. When Gaara grew bored, his sand whipped the ninjas back. Three ninjas were crushed by the sand. Smiling, Gaara went back into position, staring at the pathetic missing nins. He could feel his heart pulsing as more blood was sprayed from the nins bodies. Bodies slumped in front of him as he threw out his sand. Some ninjas had even started to run away from him, he smiling evilly and ran after them. Coming close, his sand entwined the ninjas' legs. He crushed them, causing the three ninjas to fall. Gaara crushed the two ninjas that were nearby. The third one tried to crawl away. Gaara calmly walked in front of the pathetic human. The nin stopped crawling and looked into Gaara's dark eyes.**

"**Please…mercy. I beg you…let me live," the ninja begged.**

**But Gaara only glared more.**

"**Did Sunome have mercy?" Gaara asked.**

**With that, he crushed the ninja's face. 'Didn't think so,' Gaara thought.**

**After staring at the dead ninja, Gaara looked around and found no more ninjas. Turning around, he saw one ninja slowly walking away from him. He recognized the ninja as the one who has slapped Sunome. Glaring at the ninja, who was pitifully trying to walk away from him, he remembered the other ninjas who had held Sunome down. Gaara guessed he had killed those ninjas. 'Lucky them to have such a simple death,' Gaara thought. Thrusting his arm out, the sand slithered like a snake and coiled itself around the man's leg. The ninja kicked and slapped at his leg, stupidly thinking that the sand was going to let go. Instead, it tightened, and the ninja fell to the ground. He screamed at the pain, as Gaara commanded the sand to slowly constrict his leg. With a horrible crack, blood trickled out of the nin's leg and the nin fainted. Gaara walked by the sweating nin, giving him a kick in the stomach. The nin then quickly threw a shuriken. Gaara caught it easily and thrust it back on the ninja's left hand. Gaara heard the nin swearing. Kneeling down, he looked into the nin's eyes. He extended his hand to the side, and the sand circled, forming a kunai. Then the sand crawled onto the man, covering everything but his neck and head.**

"**You shouldn't have slapped her," Gaara said.**

**With that said, he slowly cut the ninja's neck. Blood spilled onto the sand and the ninja widened his eyes and jerked. The sand then covered the ninja whole, and the cracking of multiple bones were heard.**

"**Bravo!" Damasu clapped. "You have managed to kill all of my ninjas. Good thing that girl died…she kept you from your abilities…your potential. Now, it's my turn to play."**

**Damasu threw his Kazekage outfit to the side. Drawing his gun out, he smiled at Gaara. Without a second to waste, he pulled the trigger, but Gaara easily dodged it.**

"**Oh? Quick on the feet, aren't you?" Damasu said.**

**Gaara just glared, before running straight at him. Damasu tried to shoot Gaara again, but Gaara darted to the right. He threw three sand shurikens, but Damasu dodged them. Damasu then threw a kunai at Gaara. When Gaara dodged it, Damasu quickly pulled the trigger again. Gaara barely escaped the heated bullet. Soon, the battle became a game of dodge ball. Gaara dodged and Damasu threw the fiery balls. This continued for a long time, and Gaara knew it wasn't going to have an end, unless he changed plans.**

**Deciding that Damasu was only going to shoot at him, he separated his sand from himself. The sand went to the left and Gaara ran to the right. Both aimed at Damasu. Damasu first tried to shoot at the sand, but the sand dodged his ammunition. He then tried to hit Gaara, who easily dodged it as well. Sweat beaded onto Damasu, as Gaara and his sand grew closer. Suddenly, the sand was close enough and it wrapped itself around the Kazekage. Gaara stopped and slowly walked forward. He shot his arm out, and slowly closed his fist.**

"**Die…" Gaara whispered.**

**But Damasu only smiled. As the sand slowly tightened, his skin grew brown, and he collapsed as sand.**

**Gaara widened his eyes. 'A sand clone?' Gaara thought. 'Even the gun was a clone.' Quickly turning around, he heard the blast of the gun behind him. Then, two things hit him at once. The smile on Damasu's face, and the flaming bullet as it pierced itself into Gaara's head.**

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**A/N: Ha ha! I love leaving you guys on a cliffhanger. Now you guys have to read the last chapter to find out what happens next. Yup, that's right. Sadly, the next "chappie" is the last.**


	20. The End

**A/N: Hey all reviewers! Sorry for the SUPER long update...my computer is still having problems and I'm actually writing this is Pusan, Korea! Hello America! Anyway...my reviews back to you!**

**Ryushi: Lol! You have to admit that you love them...don't you? I just enjoy torturing you guys...haha. Anyway, I guess you'll have to read on to find out if you're prediction is true or not...also, tell me some of your images that you had...I'm really curious! Whelp, I guess this is good-bye! Thanks for your lovely reviews!**

**Kira: Sorry! I'm sooo sorry for the late update...it was truly unintentional! Hope this chapter is enjoyable and thanks for being a great reviewer!**

**Luna: Lol...that means you know the fun of writing clifhangers right? Sorry for the late update again! It won't happen again (lol). Again, thanks for being a great reviewer!**

**MazdaKitsune: Haha...glad you're into my story! It makes me happy to know that I DO 'pull you in'. Thanks for your eye-caching reviews (literally!)**

**tipg92: Im super sorry for you! Waiting like a faithful reviewer! I was actually going to try and forget to finish this story but then I thought about you're last commet about waiting! So here it is...thanks to you! Loved your reviews and good-bye!**

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**As Gaara's body slammed to the ground, Damasu slowly smiled. His smiled increased and soon he went into a hysterical laughter. He clutched his sides and let his head roll back, as Gaara laid still. Shaking his head, and wiping a tear, his laughter decreased, until only a smirk remained.**

**"I almost couldn't believe that I actually killed you," Damasu said to the dead body. "But here you are...dead within a few feet from me. I suppose this wasn't the first time you got someone killed...is it?"**

**The dead body said nothing.**

**Damasu smirked more and walked to the dead body. **

**"Now, what should I do with you? Hmm...I already know I'll be using your girlfriend as an experiment for my weapon. But you...perhaps I'll cut your head off and hang it...or maybe I'll just let you rot in the sand, like a demon should."**

**As he stood next to the carcass, Damasu eyed it closely. From where the head wound was, there was no blood. Looking inside the wound, he found that there was no splattered brains either. He then noticed the skin turning brown. With horror, he realized it wasn't Gaara. Widening his eyes, he then heard the sound of sand shifting and then falling behind him. Quickly, he pulled out his gun, but his face was met by a hard fist. His face collided with it, and soon, he was flying back. As he slammed into a concrete wall. he slowly faded into unconsciousness.**

**Damasu awoke to Gaara's face staring at him. Again, he quickly tried to pull his gun out, but with no success. Looking down, he found himself buried neck deep in sand.**

**"Did you really think I would pathetically fall for your tricks again?" Gaara asked, his body in a crouch position.**

**"Well it isn't the first time someone died because of your rage...is it?" Damasu spat.**

**Rage filled him, and Gaara gave him a hard punch in the face. The action seemed to knock Damasu out. Seeing his unconscious face roll forward, Gaara's anger slowly decreased. Sighing, he stood up and stared at the unmoving body. He wanted Damasu to have a painful death, but it seemed that he couldn't do it now. Sighing again, he remembered Damasu's last comment, and looked back at Sunome's body. Suddenly, an overwhelming emotion ran through him. An emotion he thought he had lost years ago: Sadness.**

**His eyes grew soft and Gaara slowly walked to the dead body. Staring at her face, he remembered the few memories they had.**

**"You should've left me alone..." Gaara said, remembering that Sunome had taken care of him, when he was unconscious.**

**Sitting next to her, he stared at her soft complexion. He then realized how fragile she was, but her constant bickering on how she could take care of herself, made him forget. After staring at her, he laid down and stared at the sky. He then closed his eyes and his let his thoughts run free.**

**Minutes passed, and Gaara heard a noise from Sunome. Quickly standing, he stared at her face. Her face was the same, nothing had changed. As he was about to lie down, he remembered that Sunome's eyes were half-closed. He stared once again at the closed eyes, and suddenly, angry purple eyes stared back.**

**"What...the...hell...did..Sunome..do?" Kita gritted.**

**"She's dead," Gaara calmly said.**

**Kita's angry face, then changed to curiosity.**

**"You...killed her?" she asked.**

**"Yes," Gaara said, he didn't even have to think for that answer.**

**She coughed, and Gaara knew it was supposedto be laughter.**

**"I...would...'ve...killed you...if...I...could," Kita said.**

**Gaara just nodded, he already knew.**

**"You don't have complete control?" Gaara asked.**

**"No. I'm..using...chakra...just to...talk."**

**Gaara slightly nodded.**

**"Can you move anything?"**

**Her face...and...her...arms."**

**Kita then tried to sit up, but her only her arms and head lifted.**

**"Kuso..." she said, putting her face and arms back down.**

**After that, no one talked. Both Kita and Gaara were busy with their own thoughts. Finally, Kita broke the ear-straining silence.**

**"I...need...you to...do...something," Kita asked.**

**"What?"**

**"Give...me...some...of your...chakra," Kita asked.**

**Gaara held Kita's hand.**

**"You.'re...not...suspicious?"**

**"You still would only have control of Sunome's arms and legs. The rest belongs to her," Gaara said.**

**"Fine. Chakra...Kyuuin...No Jutsu (Chakra Absorption)!"**

**Gaara saw a blue flame engulf Kita's and his own hand and soon, he felt his chakra being drained. When he could feel himself getting weaker, Kita let go.**

**"That's better," she said.**

**"What do you need chakra for?" Gaara asked.**

**"To perform a jutsu. I don't...no, I can't stay in this body. I'm a living soul in am immobile carcass. To live without a purpose is inconsiderable. When I was in Sunome's body, my purpose was to break free. Now, I can't even walk..there is no purpose I can serve."**

**Gaara only stared.**

**Kita sighed. "I'm bringing Sunome back. Only she can have complete control of this body. There's no way that I can live like this...and I can't just bring back anybody."**

**Gaara widened his eyes. **

**"Can you do it?" Gaara asked.**

**"Yes. I've seen it before."**

**Gaara nodded again. "Do you need any help?"**

**Kita shook her head. "You've done enough. But one thing. I'll be using all of my life force to bring Sunome back. That means that I'll be looking to fighting you in hell."**

**Without another second to waste, she quickly did numerous signs and then murmured something. A light surrounded the body, and Gaara automatically shielded his eyes. Moments passed, and the light ceased.**

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**Sunome slowly opened her eyes. Blinking twice, she found Gaara staring at her.**

**"Did Damasu get you?" she asked.**

**Gaara shook his head.**

**Sunome tilted her head. "Wha.."**

**Sitting up, she looked around. She was in the same place she was when she died. Quickly, she patted her chest. No blood or open wound was on her.**

**"What happened?"**

**"Kita revived you."**

**"Kita?"**

**Sunome stared hard and heard no thoughts.**

**"She's gone," Sunome said, obviously not a question.**

**Gaara nodded his head.**

**Standing up, he held his hand out to her. Sunome took it and he lifted her up. Still tightly clutching her hand, Gaara walked her back to Damasu. Damasu was already awake and saw Sunome walking towards him.**

**"There's no way...you can't be alive! I killed you! You're dead..DEAD!" he shouted, violently shaking his head back and forth.**

**Still holding her hand, as if he ever let go, he would lose her again, he looked at Damasu.**

**He held out his other hand, and slowly started closing his fist. But Sunome touched his hand.**

**"Isn't there an easier way? Can't you just bury him or something? I don't want to see anymore blood."**

**"But he killed you. He should suffer for that."**

**"I know. But here I am...and I don't want to see death again. Please."**

**Gaara sighed and quickly threw his hand. The action made Damasu disappear deep in the sand.**

**"There."**

**"Thanks," Sunome said, grabbing Gaara's whole arm.**

**Gaara muttered something, but still let Sunome hold his arm. As they walked back, Gaara quicklycaught a black figure out of the cornerhis eye. Quickly turning around, he wrapped his sand around the figure.**

**"Kankurou?"**

**"Ah...Ga-Gaara. N-Nice...to see...you," Kankurou gulped. **

**Gaara's eyes turned hard. "You were the cause of this."**

**He tightened his fist again, but before Sunome could protest, someone yelled, "Stop!"**

**Sunome whipped her head around, recognizing the voice.**

**"Temari!" Sunome shouted, running.**

**As she hugged her, Temari said, "I'm glad I got here in time."**

**Gaara didn't look back. "He tried to kill you too."**

**"I know, but he's still our brother."**

**"Why does that matter?"**

**"He's our family. I love him, like I love you. We're a family and we should stay that way. I know he tried to kill me...but it can be forgiven."**

**Sunome then walked over to Gaara and laid her hand on his shoulder.**

**Gaara sighed and his sand released Kankurou.**

**"Fine. What will he do now?" Gaara asked, as Kankurou rubbed his rump.**

**"He'll be Kazekage again. I'm moving to live with Shikamaru for a while though. Are you going to stick around? We're still a family." Temari said.**

**Gaara and Sunome looked at each other. **

**"I think I know where I belong now."**

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**A/N: Sorry for moving really fast, but I don't have a lot of time. But I really hoped you guys enjoyed it! Much love and if you want to talk or anything, check out Be my friend if you have one! Also, the Song "The Reason" by Hoobastank reminds me of this story. Anyway, thanks everyone for your great reviews! I hope this story did you well! Ja nee and take care!**


	21. READ THIS!

**Last Author's Note:**

**Read Ryushi's review for a future epilogue story of Gaara and Sunome!**

**Luna Forest: Yea...it was a surprise to me too...lol. You might want to read Ryushi's review to see if it's actually over or not though...**

**Kira: Well, by how many good reviews I've recieved...I'm actually considering an epilogue...read Ryushi's review to find out **

**Ryushi: I'm very happy (as to all my other reviewers of course) that you enjoyed it. I've heard that a "Mary Sue" is a character that is actually referring to the author. For other reviewers...believe me...I'm no Sunome or Kita. I'm quite the shy type...though I may fight with a guy if I grow close...but that's if I know him pretty well. **

**I loved how your story went...it was a wonderful gift...great details and especially the diction choice! I admit that I reread it multiple times...I loved it!**

**As for an epilogue...before I even started this story I was thinking about the story after...although every time I add chapters to this story...my new story changes. Here's a desciption of the story after Gaara's New Life. It may start either before summer vaca ends or when school starts (for me of course). Of course, this story will come out on my faithful reviewers' opinions. If it doesn't interest you guys...please say so! That way I don't have to write a useless story with a blank page meant for comments...lol. Here it goes:**

**This story takes place four years later. Sunome and Gaara have grown closer to each other. Thus, Sunome decided it's time to meet Gaara's friends. Although Gaara doesn't think of the whole Konoha teens as friends, aside from Lee and Naruto, Sunome goes ahead. She plans a Dance Party and sends out invitations to Konoha. She also invites her own few friends to join, as well. (But trouble stirs and Kita's old "friends" come to visit, days before the dance.)**

**This is pretty much the story. However, if you prefer blood, I can add some. The parenthesis are the added part if you prefer tht one.**

**How does it sound? I'm still unsure about whether I will actually write this story..so all of you...please review back on your opinions!**

**Michelaski: You make me blush! I'm very happy to hear that I have yet another reviewer who enjoyed my story. If you want a second part to this story...please read Ryushi's review and opinionate! Thanks very much!**

**MazdaKitsune: Lol...very glad you enjoyed...I adnit I feel sad for Kita...but she (or rather I?) made the choice...read Ryushi's review if you're interested in another story related to this one! Thanks for your great reviews!**


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